Thomas Traynor
Encyclopedia
Thomas Traynor, was a member of the Irish Republican Army
(IRA) hanged in Mountjoy Prison
during the Irish War of Independence
.
in Co. Carlow
and was 39 at the time of his death. He was an experienced soldier having been a member of the Boland's Mill
garrison during the Easter Rising
, 1916. After the Rising he was interned in Frongoch
and in Wakefield Jail
where he shared a cell with Seán Mac Eoin
.
He worked as a boot maker and was married with ten children. At the time of his death the eldest was 18 years and the youngest 5 months. Traynor's eldest son, Francis, represented Ireland at the 1928 Summer Olympics
, competing as a bantamweight boxer.
in Brunswick Street, Dublin, on 14 March 1921, and tried on 5 April at City Hall
. He was part of a party of IRA men keeping watch outside a meeting at 144 Brunswick street that included Seán MacBride
. During the fight Volunteer Leo Fitzgerald was killed, as were Constable James O'Farrell and Cadet Bernard Beard of the Dublin Metropolitan Police
. He was badly beaten by the Igoe Gang before execution. Dublin Castle seemed to consider the execution of Traynor mainly in terms of the impact it would have on Irish public opinion. From his diary extract, it would appear that Mark Sturgis a senior Civil Sevant of the Castle administration, seemed unaware that a hostage was being held in the event of Traynor being killed.
On the day following his death, Gilbert Potter
, a Royal Irish Constabulary
(RIC) District Inspector based in Cahir
, Co. Tipperary
, and being held for Traynor's safe treatment was executed in reprisal. Another IRA member, Jack Donnely, captured with Thomas was also sentenced to death but reprieved by the declaration of the truce in June 1921.
A song 'The Ballad of Thomas Traynor' was also written in his memory.
. 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...
(IRA) hanged 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...
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...
.
Background
Traynor was from TullowTullow
Tullow is a town in County Carlow, Ireland. It is located on the River Slaney where the N81 road intersects with the R762.-History:There is a statue of Father John Murphy, one of the leaders of the 1798 Rebellion, who was captured near Tullow and executed in the Market Square on 2 July...
in Co. Carlow
County Carlow
County Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...
and was 39 at the time of his death. He was an experienced soldier having been a member of the Boland's Mill
Boland's Mill
Boland's Mill is located on the Grand Canal Dock in Dublin, Ireland at the corner of Pearse Street and Barrow St. The majority of the complex consists of silos built in the 1940s. The mill stopped production in 2001 and the site is now derelict...
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...
, 1916. After the Rising he was interned in 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...
and in Wakefield Jail
Wakefield (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wakefield is a Category A men's prison, located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and is the largest maximum security prison in the United Kingdom...
where he shared a cell with Seán Mac Eoin
Seán Mac Eoin
Seán Mac Eoin was an Irish Fine Gael politician and soldier. He was commonly referred to as the "Blacksmith of Ballinalee".-Early life:...
.
He worked as a boot maker and was married with ten children. At the time of his death the eldest was 18 years and the youngest 5 months. Traynor's eldest son, Francis, represented Ireland at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Ireland at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Ireland competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands.Ireland won its first Olympic medal as an independent nation as Pat O'Callaghan won the gold medal in the men's hammer throw.-Medalists:-Boxing:...
, competing as a bantamweight boxer.
Capture and execution
Traynor was captured during an ambush on AuxiliariesAuxiliary Division
The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary , generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary organization within the Royal Irish Constabulary during the Irish War of Independence....
in Brunswick Street, Dublin, on 14 March 1921, and tried on 5 April at City Hall
City Hall, Dublin
The City Hall, Dublin , originally the Royal Exchange, is a civic building in Dublin, Ireland. It was built between 1769 and 1779 to the designs of architect Thomas Cooley and is a notable example of 18th-century architecture in the city.-Overview:...
. He was part of a party of IRA men keeping watch outside a meeting at 144 Brunswick street that included Seán MacBride
Seán MacBride
Seán MacBride was an Irish government minister and prominent international politician as well as a Chief of Staff of the IRA....
. During the fight Volunteer Leo Fitzgerald was killed, as were Constable James O'Farrell and Cadet Bernard Beard 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:...
. He was badly beaten by the Igoe Gang before execution. Dublin Castle seemed to consider the execution of Traynor mainly in terms of the impact it would have on Irish public opinion. From his diary extract, it would appear that Mark Sturgis a senior Civil Sevant of the Castle administration, seemed unaware that a hostage was being held in the event of Traynor being killed.
(Monday 25 April)
Traynor, captured red handed with an attacking party when Auxiliaries were killed in Brnswick Street, was executed this morning. I don't think they will make much fuss as there is no sort of 'alibi' business this time - nor is he the usual 'youth', dear to 'The Freeman'Freeman's JournalThe Freeman's Journal was the oldest nationalist newspaper in Ireland. It was founded in 1763 by Charles Lucas and was identified with radical 18th century Protestant patriot politicians Henry Grattan and Henry Flood...
, as he is over 40 and has a pack of children, the poor deluded idiot.
On the day following his death, Gilbert Potter
Gilbert Potter
Gilbert Norman Potter, , was a District Inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary. He was born in Dromahair, County Leitrim and was stationed at Cahir, County Tipperary, during the Irish War of Independence...
, a Royal Irish Constabulary
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...
(RIC) District Inspector based in Cahir
Cahir
Cahir is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. The town is best known for its castle and the Swiss Cottage. It is in the barony of Iffa and Offa West.-Location and access:...
, Co. Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
, and being held for Traynor's safe treatment was executed in reprisal. Another IRA member, Jack Donnely, captured with Thomas was also sentenced to death but reprieved by the declaration of the truce in June 1921.
Remembered in popular culture
In 1965 a statue was erected to Traynor in his native town of Tullow.A song 'The Ballad of Thomas Traynor' was also written in his memory.
Reinterment
Thomas Traynor was one of a group of men hanged in Mountjoy Prison in the period 1920-1921, commonly referred to as The Forgotten TenThe 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.