Kevin Barry - freedom fighter or terrorist

Kevin Barry - freedom fighter or terrorist.

Kevin Gerard Barry was the fourth of a family of two boys and four girls. He was born on the 20th of January 1902 and lived at 8 Fleet Street, Dublin,. 

Following the death of his father in 1908, the family moved to Tombeagh, County Carlow, where he attended Rathvilly National School. Later he went to St Mary's College in Rathmines in Dublin, and in 1916 he transferred to Belvedere College. In 1919 he became a medical student at University College Dublin.

  In addition to his education and love of rugby, he had joined the Irish Volunteers (IRA) when he was 15.

By 1920 he was promoted to section commander and took part in most of the Brigade operations against the British forces in Dublin.

On the morning of the 20th of September 1920 Barry and 22 others were to ambush a British Army lorry collecting bread from Monk's bakery in Church Street and disarm the soldiers and take their rifles.  There was a shootout in which one soldier was killed and four were wounded, two of whom later died from their injuries.  They were Private Harold Washington, aged 15, Privates Marshall Whitehead and Thomas Humphries.  

Barry’s pistol had jammed and he was arrested at the scene and he was arrested.  He was interrogated but refused to divulge the names of the others involved.

On the 20th of October, he was tried before a court-martial under the provisions of the Restoration of Order in Ireland Act that had come into force in August 1920.

  Although the ballistic evidence showed that he had not fired the fatal shots he was deemed to be equally guilty and was convicted of the murder and sentenced to death. There was much agitation for a reprieve, particularly on account of his, Barry being only 18.

The execution was scheduled for 8 a.m. on Monday the 1st of November 1920.

Barry was visited at 7.00 a.m. on the Monday morning by the Rev. Canon Watters and Fr. M’Mahon and was given Holy Communion and Canon Waters celebrated Mass with him.  Just before 8 o’clock John Ellis went to the Condemned cell, lit only by candles and enquired of Canon Waters “if you are quite done father” i.e. if Mass was complete. 

 The Canon replied that it was and Ellis pinioned Barry and then the procession formed up, led by Ellis with Barry following escorted by the two chaplains, then came the assistant executioner and two warders.  Upon entering the gallows shed the remaining preparations took less than half a minute to complete.  Canon Watters went down into the “pit” and anointed the hanging body.

The notice of execution was posted on the prison gate.  It read “The sentence of the law passed on Kevin Barry found guilty of murder, was carried into execution at 8.00 a.m. today.”

A large crowd had gathered outside Mountjoy that morning and recited the Rosary. At, he was hanged in Dublin’s Mountjoy prison by His last message to his comrades was: “Hold on and stick to the Republic.”  The body was buried within the prison walls at 1. 30 p.m., the burial service being conducted by the Rev. Canon Watters and Fr. M’Mahon.

This was the first of 102 executions carried out during the War of Independence and the Irish Civil War for terrorist murders and treason. Most of these were by military firing squad and were typically carried out in batches.