Michael Mallin
Encyclopedia
Michael Mallin was an Irish
rebel and socialist who took an active role in the 1916 Easter Rising
.
Born in Dublin, Mallin was second in command of the Irish Citizen Army
under James Connolly
and commanded the garrison at St. Stephen's Green
in Dublin, with Constance Markievicz as his second in command. Mallin had enlisted in the British army as a boy soldier/drummer boy in his early years and served for many years in India. His experiences there radicalised him and manifested itself in his becoming a leading official in the silk weavers union upon his return to Ireland and his acceptance of the post of second in command and chief training officer of the Irish Citizen Army. The ICA was formed after the 1913 general strike in Dublin to protect workers from the RIC
and also from employer funded strike breaking gangs.
Mallin surrendered on Sunday, 30 April 1916 when ordered to do so by Connolly. At his court-martial
he attempted to downplay his involvement. This was understandable as he was a young father of four children and his wife was pregnant with a fifth. In his own statement, Mallin projected himself as a mere tradesman and band leader who had almost by chance become involved in the Irish Citizen Army and the Rising. He sought to exculpate himself from blame by suggesting that he was a mere dupe, obeying orders and ignorant of Connolly's plans for insurrection. He stated: "I am no commission whatever in the Citizen Army. I was never taken into the confidence of James Connolly. I was under the impression that we were going out for manoeuvres on Sunday." Once aware that there was to be a rising he claimed that he covertly tried to subvert it. He also claimed that Countess Markievicz was in command, and not second in command to him, and that she had commanded him to take charge of the men on the Monday.
However he was convicted and executed by firing squad
on 8 May. The prosecutor at his court martial was a Captain Blackadder. In his last letter to his wife, Mallin stated that "I find no fault with the soldiers or the police" and admonished her "to pray for all the souls who fell in this fight, Irish and English." He commented "so must Irishmen pay for trying to make Ireland a free nation."
The modern-day Dún Laoghaire/Mallin DART station has been named after him.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
rebel and socialist who took an active role in the 1916 Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
.
Born in Dublin, Mallin was second in command of the Irish Citizen Army
Irish Citizen Army
The Irish Citizen Army , or ICA, was a small group of trained trade union volunteers established in Dublin for the defence of worker’s demonstrations from the police. It was formed by James Larkin and Jack White. Other prominent members included James Connolly, Seán O'Casey, Constance Markievicz,...
under James Connolly
James Connolly
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
and commanded the garrison at St. Stephen's Green
St. Stephen's Green
St Stephen's Green is a city centre public park in Dublin, Ireland. The park is adjacent to one of Dublin's main shopping streets, Grafton Street, and to a shopping centre named for it, while on its surrounding streets are the offices of a number of public bodies and the city terminus of one of...
in Dublin, with Constance Markievicz as his second in command. Mallin had enlisted in the British army as a boy soldier/drummer boy in his early years and served for many years in India. His experiences there radicalised him and manifested itself in his becoming a leading official in the silk weavers union upon his return to Ireland and his acceptance of the post of second in command and chief training officer of the Irish Citizen Army. The ICA was formed after the 1913 general strike in Dublin to protect workers from the RIC
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
and also from employer funded strike breaking gangs.
Mallin surrendered on Sunday, 30 April 1916 when ordered to do so by Connolly. At his court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
he attempted to downplay his involvement. This was understandable as he was a young father of four children and his wife was pregnant with a fifth. In his own statement, Mallin projected himself as a mere tradesman and band leader who had almost by chance become involved in the Irish Citizen Army and the Rising. He sought to exculpate himself from blame by suggesting that he was a mere dupe, obeying orders and ignorant of Connolly's plans for insurrection. He stated: "I am no commission whatever in the Citizen Army. I was never taken into the confidence of James Connolly. I was under the impression that we were going out for manoeuvres on Sunday." Once aware that there was to be a rising he claimed that he covertly tried to subvert it. He also claimed that Countess Markievicz was in command, and not second in command to him, and that she had commanded him to take charge of the men on the Monday.
However he was convicted and executed by firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
on 8 May. The prosecutor at his court martial was a Captain Blackadder. In his last letter to his wife, Mallin stated that "I find no fault with the soldiers or the police" and admonished her "to pray for all the souls who fell in this fight, Irish and English." He commented "so must Irishmen pay for trying to make Ireland a free nation."
The modern-day Dún Laoghaire/Mallin DART station has been named after him.