Thomas Whelan
Encyclopedia
Thomas Whelan (5 October 1898 - 14 March 1921) was one of six men executed in Mountjoy Prison
, Dublin on 14 March 1921. He was 22 years old at the time of his death.
, Co. Galway
on 5 October 1898, the sixth child of thirteen. He attended Beleek and Clifden, before leaving school at 15 to work on his father's farm. Whelan moved to Dublin at the age of 18 to find work and joined the Irish Volunteers
as a member of 'A' Company, 3rd Battalion, Dublin Brigade. He lived at Barrow Street, Ringsend
, Dublin and worked at a train depot.
on Bloody Sunday (1920)
. Whelan was defended at his court martial by Michael Noyk
, through whom he protested his innocence of the charges. As in the case of Patrick Moran
there was eye witness evidence that Whelan had been at Mass
at the time the shooting took place. Nonetheless he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. He was hanged at 6am along with Patrick Moran, the first of six men to be executed that day. A crowd estimated at 40,000 gathered outside the prison to pray as the executions took place.
. 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.
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...
, Dublin on 14 March 1921. He was 22 years old at the time of his death.
Background
Whelan was born near ClifdenClifden
Clifden is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara's largest town, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". It is located on the Owenglen River where it flows into Clifden Bay...
, Co. Galway
County Galway
County Galway 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 city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
on 5 October 1898, the sixth child of thirteen. He attended Beleek and Clifden, before leaving school at 15 to work on his father's farm. Whelan moved to Dublin at the age of 18 to find work and joined 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 a member of 'A' Company, 3rd Battalion, Dublin Brigade. He lived at Barrow Street, Ringsend
Ringsend
Ringsend is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey, about two kilometres east of the city centre, and is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge....
, Dublin and worked at a train depot.
Arrest and execution
He was arrested on 23 November 1920 and, on 1 February 1921, he was charged with the shooting of Captain Baggally, a member of the Cairo GangCairo 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...
on Bloody Sunday (1920)
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....
. Whelan was defended at his court martial by Michael Noyk
Michael Noyk
Michael Noyk was a solicitor and Irish Republican politician. Noyk was born in Telšiai, Lithuania, the son of a Jewish couple, Isaac Noyk and Esther Chana Raivid. The family emigrated when Michael was one year old...
, through whom he protested his innocence of the charges. As in the case of Patrick Moran
Patrick Moran (Irish Republican)
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.-Background:Moran was born in Crossna, County Roscommon...
there was eye witness evidence that Whelan had been 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...
at the time the shooting took place. Nonetheless he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. He was hanged at 6am along with Patrick Moran, the first of six men to be executed that day. A crowd estimated at 40,000 gathered outside the prison to pray as the executions took place.
Reinterrment
He was one of a group of men hanged in Mountjoy Prison in the period 1920-1921 which is 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.