George Lennon
Encyclopedia
George Lennon was an Irish Republican Army
leader during the Irish War of Independence
and the Irish Civil War
. In later years he became a dedicated pacifist.
IRA career=
In 1918 Lennon was appointed Vice Commanding Officer of the IRA West Waterford Brigade. With Liam Lynch, on 7 September 1919, he took part in an attack on British troops at Fermoy's Wesleyan Church. In May 1920 he participated in "one of the fiercest of all barracks attacks..." directed at the RIC in Kilmallock
, County Limerick. After this he was attached to the East Limerick Flying Column (the first organised of "men on the run") and took part in a series of attacks on Crown forces including Bruree
, Co. Limerick and Kildorrery
, Co. Cork.
In October 1920 he took command of the West Waterford Flying Column as the youngest leader of an active service unit. Operating from the Comeragh mountains and the Drum Hills, Lennon, with Great War veteran John Riordan, planned and led the Piltown Cross ambush
on 1 November 1920 (the date of the execution, in Dublin, of Kevin Barry) in which a British army unit was overwhelmed and armaments seized. In January 1921 the flying column took part in the unsuccessful Pickardstown ambush
near Tramore and the Burgery ambush
in March 1921. Capturing childhood acquaintance R.I.C. Sergeant Hickey, he had him executed as a "police spy". In all, Lennon was involved in some 17 engagements not including gun-running activities and arms seizures. The activities of Lennon's column resulted in nearly a thousand British troops being deployed to Waterford, along with over two hundred RIC and Royal Marines.
After the Truce of 11 July 1921, he served as County Waterford I.R.A. Liaison Officer, seized the former Cappoquin R.I.C. Barracks and led his men into a generally non-receptive Waterford City.
In the subsequent Irish Civil War
, he took the anti-treaty side and fought at the Battle of Waterford
of July 1922 (See Irish Free State offensive
). The first and last shots of the battle were fired from his command at Ballybricken Gaol. Retreating westward he subsequently resigned in a letter to Liam Deasy
when it became obvious that the war would prove ruinous for Ireland.
In America
He emigrated to New York
in 1927 where he was business manager and contributor ("George Crolly") to the short lived art/literary magazine The Irish Review edited by Ulster poet Joseph Campbell. An earlier Irish Review had been published in Dublin by executed
1916 martyr Joseph Mary Plunkett. Listed as managing editor in 1934 was brother in law George H. Sherwood. The magazine included portrayals of the works of Sean Keating and Power O'Malley, born Michael Augustine Power in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.
Out of his New York City apartment he campaigned for pensions via the West Waterford Brigade Old I.R.A Men's Association.
Return to Ireland
He returned to Ireland in 1936 when he worked for the Irish Tourism Association (I.T.A.), directing the "Irish Topographical Survey" viewed as " one of the most important and lasting projects carried out" during the war years. He also served as the County Waterford representative on the executive of the All Ireland Old I.R.A. Men's Organisation. His last position in the Free State was Secretary to The National Planning Conference. His return to Ireland was detailed in the novel "Dead Star's Light" (1938) written by Una Troy http://www.unatroy.com/ under the nom de plume of Elizabeth Connor. Troy and her husband Joe Walsh (brother in law of Sean Keating, RHA) were subsequently effectively expunged from the roles of their Clonmel parish church.
Although he listed many clerical antecedents, including Roman Catholic Archbishop Primate (1835–1849) William Crolly, he was critical of the "special position" of the Catholic Church in Free State Ireland.He also spoke out against the Church and the Ancient Order of Hibernians for their position relative to the Fascists in 1936 Spain. He was married outside the Church in 1939 to May Sibbald, secretary to Government Minister Sean MacEntee, Fianna Fáil T.D. May was the sister in law of An Phoblacht assistant editor Geoffrey Coulter. In violation of the Ne Temere
decree, his only child was baptised as a Presbyterian in Dun Laoghaire.
During the "Emergency"( World War II period) he made contact with English Poet Laureate to be John Betjeman who, as a British Embassy "press attache", had earlier been marked for assassination as a spy by the I.R.A. Betjeman had written a number of poems based on his experiences in West Waterford including "The Irish Unionist's Farewell to Greta Hellstrom" which ended each stanza with the refrain "...Dungarvan in the rain".
He emigrated to the USA, for the final time, in early 1946 on one of the first civilian flights out of war torn Europe. In May of 1947 "Dead Star's Light" was performed on the Abbey stage as" The Dark Road".
In the play it was noted that in 1930's Ireland "heroes are out of fashion" and that some viewed him as "a communist, an anti-cleric, an agitator, a gun-man...." His wife and son left Ireland in late 1947.
Lennon later became a pacifist and took part in protests against the Vietnam War
. He adopted Zen Buddhism and in 1967, with Chester Carlson, inventor of electrophotography (Xerography), became one of the founders of the Rochester Zen Center
.
He died in 1991 and was cremated, without ceremony, in accordance with his wishes in Rochester, N.Y.
Controversy over legacy
Due largely to Lennon's stand regarding positions taken by the Irish Catholic Church and his emigration to the US, he was subsequently 'airbrushed' from Irish history.
In 2009 it emerged that a Republican Sinn Fein
Cumann had named the Waterford branch of its organisation after George Lennon without the permission of his family http://www.tribune.ie/news/letters/article/2009/jul/19/rsf-should-know-that-my-father-became-a-buddhist/. In 2010 the Lennon name was deleted and replaced by that of Thomas McElwee
, blanket protestor and hunger striker , sentenced to life imprisonment for the firebombing death of shopkeeper Yvonne Dunlop.
This, in turn, brought to light other issues, including the refusal by a West Waterford Republican organisation, originally established by Lennon in 1930's New York City, to allow his ashes to be scattered amongst his comrades at the IRA Republican plot in Kilrossanty, Co. Waterford. Prior to this denial, in December 2008, the Department of Defence refused a military presence at the proposed ceremony. A possible dispersal of ashes at the family parish church in Dungarvan was complicated by an inability to locate the plots, although 1920's newspaper accounts note his parents burial there. In August 2010 ashes were scattered off the Maine coast at the home of his grand-daughter, Kristin Maureen Cohen of Falmouth-Foreside Maine. His ashes also reside at the Morgan Bay Zendo in Surry, Maine, his son's home and the Rochester Zen Center.
Recent Recognition
In September 2009, under the auspices of the Waterford County Museum in Dungarvan, talks and an exhibit entitled "The Road to Independence"
prominently noted his role in attaining a measure of Irish independence. This event coincided with the release of "Rebel Heart: George Lennon Flying Column Commander" by Terence O'Reilly and "Ulster to the Deise: Lennons in Time" by his son.https://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/aug/30/paperbacks-tom-widger/
In 2010, events at St. John Fisher College, Pittsford, New York, included a visual presentation ("George Lennon: I.R.A. Rebel to Zen Pacifist") and his oil portrait by Ruth Carver, previously displayed at Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery, was included in an exhibit of Irish art entitled "Forgotten Ireland". Featured, inter alia, were the works of Dublin friend Harry Kernoff, Dungarvan artist Michael Augustine Power-O'Malley and Blawnin Clancy, daughter of Joan and Tommy Clancy of the folk singing Clancy Brothers.
In early 2011 a documentary film of Lennon's life was filmed in various locales in West Waterford, including the Waterford County Museum and Mt. Mellary Abbey.
The documentary, "O Chogadh go Siochain: Saol George Lennon", shown on Irish television (TG4) in September of 2011, had an American premiere in the Autumn of 2011 at the Irish Film Feis, sponsored by the Rochester, New York Chapter of the Irish American Cultural
Institute. Completed earlier, in December 2010 and scheduled for a Waterford performance in November 2012, was Muiris O'Keeffe's play "Days of Our Youth" dealing with the impact upon Lennon of the 1921 Burgery Ambushes.
Sources
External links
Online documentary
Saol George Lennon
http://beo.tg4.ie/main.aspx?content=674470915073
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
leader during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
and the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
. In later years he became a dedicated pacifist.
IRA career=
In 1918 Lennon was appointed Vice Commanding Officer of the IRA West Waterford Brigade. With Liam Lynch, on 7 September 1919, he took part in an attack on British troops at Fermoy's Wesleyan Church. In May 1920 he participated in "one of the fiercest of all barracks attacks..." directed at the RIC in Kilmallock
Kilmallock
Kilmallock or Kilmalloc is a town in south County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Cork. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King's Castle . The remains of medieval walls which encircled the settlement are still visible. The Dublin–Cork railway line passes by the town,...
, County Limerick. After this he was attached to the East Limerick Flying Column (the first organised of "men on the run") and took part in a series of attacks on Crown forces including Bruree
Bruree
Bruree is a village in south-eastern County Limerick, Ireland, on the River Maigue. It takes its name from the nearby ancient royal fortress, the alternative name of which from the earliest times into the High Middle Ages was Dún Eochair Maigue or the Fortress on the Brink of the Maigue.- History...
, Co. Limerick and Kildorrery
Kildorrery
Kildorrery is a village in north County Cork, Ireland. It lies at the crossroads of the N73 road from Mallow to Mitchelstown and the R512 from Kilmallock to Fermoy....
, Co. Cork.
In October 1920 he took command of the West Waterford Flying Column as the youngest leader of an active service unit. Operating from the Comeragh mountains and the Drum Hills, Lennon, with Great War veteran John Riordan, planned and led the Piltown Cross ambush
Piltown Cross ambush
The Piltown Cross ambush, an action of the Irish War of Independence, took place near Kinsalebeg County Waterford on the night of 2 November 1920....
on 1 November 1920 (the date of the execution, in Dublin, of Kevin Barry) in which a British army unit was overwhelmed and armaments seized. In January 1921 the flying column took part in the unsuccessful Pickardstown ambush
Pickardstown ambush
The Pickardstown Ambush, an action in the Irish War of Independence, took place near the town of Tramore County Waterford on the night of 6 January 1921....
near Tramore and the Burgery ambush
Burgery ambush
The Burgery Ambush was an ambush carried out by the Irish Republican Army on 18–19 March 1921, during the Irish War of Independence. It took place near the town of Dungarvan, County Waterford.-Ambush:...
in March 1921. Capturing childhood acquaintance R.I.C. Sergeant Hickey, he had him executed as a "police spy". In all, Lennon was involved in some 17 engagements not including gun-running activities and arms seizures. The activities of Lennon's column resulted in nearly a thousand British troops being deployed to Waterford, along with over two hundred RIC and Royal Marines.
After the Truce of 11 July 1921, he served as County Waterford I.R.A. Liaison Officer, seized the former Cappoquin R.I.C. Barracks and led his men into a generally non-receptive Waterford City.
In the subsequent Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
, he took the anti-treaty side and fought at the Battle of Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
of July 1922 (See Irish Free State offensive
Irish Free State offensive
The Irish Free State offensive of July–September 1922 was the decisive military stroke of the Irish Civil War. It was carried out by the National Army of the newly created Irish Free State against anti-treaty strongholds in the south and southwest of Ireland....
). The first and last shots of the battle were fired from his command at Ballybricken Gaol. Retreating westward he subsequently resigned in a letter to Liam Deasy
Liam Deasy
Liam Deasy was an Irish Republican Army officer in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War of the 1920s.Deasy was born in Bandon in County Cork in 1898....
when it became obvious that the war would prove ruinous for Ireland.
In America
He emigrated to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1927 where he was business manager and contributor ("George Crolly") to the short lived art/literary magazine The Irish Review edited by Ulster poet Joseph Campbell. An earlier Irish Review had been published in Dublin by executed
1916 martyr Joseph Mary Plunkett. Listed as managing editor in 1934 was brother in law George H. Sherwood. The magazine included portrayals of the works of Sean Keating and Power O'Malley, born Michael Augustine Power in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.
Out of his New York City apartment he campaigned for pensions via the West Waterford Brigade Old I.R.A Men's Association.
Return to Ireland
He returned to Ireland in 1936 when he worked for the Irish Tourism Association (I.T.A.), directing the "Irish Topographical Survey" viewed as " one of the most important and lasting projects carried out" during the war years. He also served as the County Waterford representative on the executive of the All Ireland Old I.R.A. Men's Organisation. His last position in the Free State was Secretary to The National Planning Conference. His return to Ireland was detailed in the novel "Dead Star's Light" (1938) written by Una Troy http://www.unatroy.com/ under the nom de plume of Elizabeth Connor. Troy and her husband Joe Walsh (brother in law of Sean Keating, RHA) were subsequently effectively expunged from the roles of their Clonmel parish church.
Although he listed many clerical antecedents, including Roman Catholic Archbishop Primate (1835–1849) William Crolly, he was critical of the "special position" of the Catholic Church in Free State Ireland.He also spoke out against the Church and the Ancient Order of Hibernians for their position relative to the Fascists in 1936 Spain. He was married outside the Church in 1939 to May Sibbald, secretary to Government Minister Sean MacEntee, Fianna Fáil T.D. May was the sister in law of An Phoblacht assistant editor Geoffrey Coulter. In violation of the Ne Temere
Ne Temere
Ne Temere was a decree of the Roman Catholic Congregation of the Council regulating the canon law of the Church about marriage for practising Roman Catholics....
decree, his only child was baptised as a Presbyterian in Dun Laoghaire.
During the "Emergency"( World War II period) he made contact with English Poet Laureate to be John Betjeman who, as a British Embassy "press attache", had earlier been marked for assassination as a spy by the I.R.A. Betjeman had written a number of poems based on his experiences in West Waterford including "The Irish Unionist's Farewell to Greta Hellstrom" which ended each stanza with the refrain "...Dungarvan in the rain".
He emigrated to the USA, for the final time, in early 1946 on one of the first civilian flights out of war torn Europe. In May of 1947 "Dead Star's Light" was performed on the Abbey stage as" The Dark Road".
In the play it was noted that in 1930's Ireland "heroes are out of fashion" and that some viewed him as "a communist, an anti-cleric, an agitator, a gun-man...." His wife and son left Ireland in late 1947.
Lennon later became a pacifist and took part in protests against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He adopted Zen Buddhism and in 1967, with Chester Carlson, inventor of electrophotography (Xerography), became one of the founders of the Rochester Zen Center
Rochester Zen Center
The Rochester Zen Center is a Sōtō and Rinzai Zen Buddhist sangha in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage, located in Rochester, New York and established in 1966 by Philip Kapleau. It is one of the oldest Zen centers in the United States. The history of the Rochester Zen Center begins overseas with the...
.
He died in 1991 and was cremated, without ceremony, in accordance with his wishes in Rochester, N.Y.
Controversy over legacy
Due largely to Lennon's stand regarding positions taken by the Irish Catholic Church and his emigration to the US, he was subsequently 'airbrushed' from Irish history.
In 2009 it emerged that a Republican Sinn Fein
Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin or RSF is an unregisteredAlthough an active movement, RSF is not registered as a political party in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. minor political party operating in Ireland. It emerged in 1986 as a result of a split in Sinn Féin...
Cumann had named the Waterford branch of its organisation after George Lennon without the permission of his family http://www.tribune.ie/news/letters/article/2009/jul/19/rsf-should-know-that-my-father-became-a-buddhist/. In 2010 the Lennon name was deleted and replaced by that of Thomas McElwee
Thomas McElwee
Thomas McElwee was an Irish republican hunger striker and a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army .-Early life:...
, blanket protestor and hunger striker , sentenced to life imprisonment for the firebombing death of shopkeeper Yvonne Dunlop.
This, in turn, brought to light other issues, including the refusal by a West Waterford Republican organisation, originally established by Lennon in 1930's New York City, to allow his ashes to be scattered amongst his comrades at the IRA Republican plot in Kilrossanty, Co. Waterford. Prior to this denial, in December 2008, the Department of Defence refused a military presence at the proposed ceremony. A possible dispersal of ashes at the family parish church in Dungarvan was complicated by an inability to locate the plots, although 1920's newspaper accounts note his parents burial there. In August 2010 ashes were scattered off the Maine coast at the home of his grand-daughter, Kristin Maureen Cohen of Falmouth-Foreside Maine. His ashes also reside at the Morgan Bay Zendo in Surry, Maine, his son's home and the Rochester Zen Center.
Recent Recognition
In September 2009, under the auspices of the Waterford County Museum in Dungarvan, talks and an exhibit entitled "The Road to Independence"
prominently noted his role in attaining a measure of Irish independence. This event coincided with the release of "Rebel Heart: George Lennon Flying Column Commander" by Terence O'Reilly and "Ulster to the Deise: Lennons in Time" by his son.https://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/aug/30/paperbacks-tom-widger/
In 2010, events at St. John Fisher College, Pittsford, New York, included a visual presentation ("George Lennon: I.R.A. Rebel to Zen Pacifist") and his oil portrait by Ruth Carver, previously displayed at Rochester's Memorial Art Gallery, was included in an exhibit of Irish art entitled "Forgotten Ireland". Featured, inter alia, were the works of Dublin friend Harry Kernoff, Dungarvan artist Michael Augustine Power-O'Malley and Blawnin Clancy, daughter of Joan and Tommy Clancy of the folk singing Clancy Brothers.
In early 2011 a documentary film of Lennon's life was filmed in various locales in West Waterford, including the Waterford County Museum and Mt. Mellary Abbey.
The documentary, "O Chogadh go Siochain: Saol George Lennon", shown on Irish television (TG4) in September of 2011, had an American premiere in the Autumn of 2011 at the Irish Film Feis, sponsored by the Rochester, New York Chapter of the Irish American Cultural
Institute. Completed earlier, in December 2010 and scheduled for a Waterford performance in November 2012, was Muiris O'Keeffe's play "Days of Our Youth" dealing with the impact upon Lennon of the 1921 Burgery Ambushes.
Sources
Rebel Heart: George Lennon: Flying Column Commander Mercier 2009, ISBN 1856356493
External links
Online documentary
Saol George Lennon
http://beo.tg4.ie/main.aspx?content=674470915073