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Patrick Moran (Irish Republican)
Encyclopedia
Patrick Moran was a grocer's assistant and member of the Irish Republican Army
executed in Mountjoy Prison
along with five other men on 14 March 1921.
. He was the third of eleven children of Bartholemew and Brigid Moran and attended primary school in Crossna before going to work as a grocer's assistant in Boyle
. In 1911 he settled in Dublin.
He was an active member of the G.A.A.. He was involved in the 1913 Dublin Lock-out. He was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
and the Irish Volunteers
. As Adjutant of D Company, 2nd Battalion of the Dublin section of the Volunteers he fought in the Jacob's Factory Garrison during the Easter Rising
of 1916 under Thomas MacDonagh
. In the aftermath of the Rising he was imprisoned at Knutsford Prison, Wormwood Scrubs
and later at Frongoch
. He was released in July 1916.
In 1917, he was a founder of the Irish National Union of Vintners, Grocers and Allied Trades. He went on to serve as the organisation's president and chairman of its Kingstown
branch.
he became a captain in 'D' Company of the 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, IRA. He was arrested on two occasions in early 1920 before being rounded up after Bloody Sunday
and charged with the murder of a member of the Cairo Gang
of British intelligence agents.
While in detention at Arbour Hill Prison
, he was identified as being one of a group of men who had killed Lieutenant Ames
at 38 Mount Street, Dublin. Moran strongly protested his innocence of any involvement in Bloody Sunday. Indeed, he had a solid alibi since he was at Mass
in Blackrock (over four miles from the scene of the shooting) at the time and seen there by several people including a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Police
.
, with whom he became good friends. On 14 February 1921, Moran, O'Malley and Frank Teeling
broke through the padlock on an outer gate of the prison. However Moran refused to take the opportunity to escape since he felt the authorities would interpret it as an admission of guilt, telling O'Malley "I don't want to let down the witnesses who gave evidence for me." Instead Moran started a concert to distract the guards while the men escaped, with Simon Donnelly taking Moran's place. The event is related in detail in O'Malley's memoir On Another Man's Wound.
City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin. Despite the evidence of his innocence Moran was convicted of murder three days later and sentenced to be hanged
on the 14th March 1921. The Archbishop of Dublin spoke out against the sentence. The Irish National Union of Vintners' Grocers' & Allied Trades' Assistants, of which Moran had been an active member, called a half-day general strike on the morning of the executions and over 40,000 people gathered outside Mountjoy to pray for the six men who were hanged between 6am and 8pm.
.
He is one of a group of men hanged in Mountjoy Prison in the period 1920-1921 commonly referred to as The Forgotten Ten
. In 2001 he and the other nine, including Kevin Barry
, were exhumed from their graves in the prison and given a full State Funeral. He is now buried in Glasnevin Cemetery
, Dublin.
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...
executed in Mountjoy Prison
Mountjoy Prison
Mountjoy Prison , founded as Mountjoy Gaol, nicknamed The Joy, is a medium security prison located in Phibsboro in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. It has the largest prison population in Ireland.The current prison governor is Mr...
along with five other men on 14 March 1921.
Background
Moran was born in Crossna, County RoscommonCounty Roscommon
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
. He was the third of eleven children of Bartholemew and Brigid Moran and attended primary school in Crossna before going to work as a grocer's assistant in Boyle
Boyle, County Roscommon
Boyle is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located at the foot of the Curlew Mountains near Lough Key in the north of the county. Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery, the Drumanone Dolmen and the popular fishing lakes of Lough Arrow and Lough Gara are also close by...
. In 1911 he settled in Dublin.
He was an active member of the G.A.A.. He was involved in the 1913 Dublin Lock-out. He was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
and the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
. As Adjutant of D Company, 2nd Battalion of the Dublin section of the Volunteers he fought in the Jacob's Factory Garrison during the 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...
of 1916 under Thomas MacDonagh
Thomas MacDonagh
Thomas MacDonagh was an Irish nationalist, poet, playwright, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising.-Early life:MacDonagh was born in Cloughjordan, County Tipperary...
. In the aftermath of the Rising he was imprisoned at Knutsford Prison, Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs, is an open space located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the Borough, at 80 ha , and one of the largest areas of common land in London...
and later at Frongoch
Frongoch internment camp
Frongoch internment camp at Frongoch in Merionethshire, Wales was a makeshift place of imprisonment during the First World War. Until 1916 it housed German prisoners of war in an abandoned distillery and crude huts, but in the wake of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, Ireland, the German prisoners...
. He was released in July 1916.
In 1917, he was a founder of the Irish National Union of Vintners, Grocers and Allied Trades. He went on to serve as the organisation's president and chairman of its Kingstown
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
branch.
Arrest and detention
After his release from internmentInternment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
he became a captain in 'D' Company of the 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, IRA. He was arrested on two occasions in early 1920 before being rounded up after Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1920)
Bloody Sunday was a day of violence in Dublin on 21 November 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. In total, 31 people were killed – fourteen British, fourteen Irish civilians and three republican prisoners....
and charged with the murder of a member of the Cairo Gang
Cairo Gang
The Cairo Gang was a group of British Intelligence agents who were sent to Dublin during the Anglo-Irish War to conduct intelligence operations against prominent members of the Irish Republican Army...
of British intelligence agents.
While in detention at Arbour Hill Prison
Arbour Hill Prison
Arbour Hill Prison is a prison and military cemetery located in the Arbour Hill area near Heuston Station in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The prison is the national centre for male sex offenders.-Architecture:...
, he was identified as being one of a group of men who had killed Lieutenant Ames
Cairo Gang
The Cairo Gang was a group of British Intelligence agents who were sent to Dublin during the Anglo-Irish War to conduct intelligence operations against prominent members of the Irish Republican Army...
at 38 Mount Street, Dublin. Moran strongly protested his innocence of any involvement in Bloody Sunday. Indeed, he had a solid alibi since he was at Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
in Blackrock (over four miles from the scene of the shooting) at the time and seen there by several people including a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Police
Dublin Metropolitan Police
The Dublin Metropolitan Police was the police force of Dublin, Ireland, from 1836 to 1925, when it amalgamated into the new Garda Síochána.-19th century:...
.
Conviction and execution
Moran was tried the day following the break out in He was transferred from Arbour Hill to Kilmainham Jail and incarcerated in the so-called 'Murderers' Gallery', two cells away from Ernie O'MalleyErnie O'Malley
Ernie O'Malley was an Irish Republican Army officer during the Irish War of Independence and a commander of the anti-treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War. O'Malley wrote three books, On Another Man's Wound, The Singing Flame, and Raids and Rallies. The first describes his early life and role in...
, with whom he became good friends. On 14 February 1921, Moran, O'Malley and Frank Teeling
Frank Teeling
Francis 'Frank' Teeling was a member of the Irish Republican Army and one of Michael Collins' Squad who took part in the assassinations of members of the Cairo Gang on Bloody Sunday.-Background:...
broke through the padlock on an outer gate of the prison. However Moran refused to take the opportunity to escape since he felt the authorities would interpret it as an admission of guilt, telling O'Malley "I don't want to let down the witnesses who gave evidence for me." Instead Moran started a concert to distract the guards while the men escaped, with Simon Donnelly taking Moran's place. The event is related in detail in O'Malley's memoir On Another Man's Wound.
City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin. Despite the evidence of his innocence Moran was convicted of murder three days later and sentenced to be hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on the 14th March 1921. The Archbishop of Dublin spoke out against the sentence. The Irish National Union of Vintners' Grocers' & Allied Trades' Assistants, of which Moran had been an active member, called a half-day general strike on the morning of the executions and over 40,000 people gathered outside Mountjoy to pray for the six men who were hanged between 6am and 8pm.
Aftermath and reinterment
In 1961 a park was opened in Moran's memory in Dún LaoghaireDún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
.
He is one of a group of men hanged in Mountjoy Prison in the period 1920-1921 commonly referred to as The Forgotten Ten
The Forgotten Ten
The Forgotten Ten is the term applied to ten members of the Irish Republican Army who were executed in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin by British forces following courts martial from 1920-1921 during the Irish War of Independence. Based upon military law at the time, they were buried within the prison...
. In 2001 he and the other nine, including Kevin Barry
Kevin Barry
Kevin Gerard Barry was the first Irish republican to be executed by the British since the leaders of the Easter Rising. Barry was sentenced to death for his part in an IRA operation which resulted in the deaths of three British soldiers.Barry's death is considered a watershed moment in the Irish...
, were exhumed from their graves in the prison and given a full State Funeral. He is now buried in Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
, Dublin.