Medal Society of Ireland

During the Anglo-Irish war of independence the IRA had a bomb factory at St. Kearns near Saltmills, Co. Wexford. The bombs were made fill lengths of piping with explosives. They were then packed in boxes and despatched to Dublin and other places.

This factory was a well-guarded secret until the night of October 12th 1920 when an explosion occurred within the factory. Five IRA volunteers were killed from a total of fourteen men who were working in the factory. The nine survivors all sustained varying degrees of injury and were arrested and taken to the British Military Hospital in Waterford City. They were tried by court martial and sent to Dartmoor Prison in England.

by Michael Kavanagh

The ill-conceived and ill-fated rebellion of the Society of United Irishmen in 1798 led, in the space of a few weeks, to the deaths of some 30,000 people - most of them poor peasants, women and children - the imposition of a Union on terms quite unacceptable to the majority of the Irish people and to a legacy of violence and hatred that persists to the present day. It led also to the first major wave of emigration to North America, a wave consisting mostly of Ulster Scots-Irish whose descendants gave the USA no less than ten Presidents.

Thomas Dempster was born on 15 May 1886 at Comber, Co. Down, Ireland. After leaving school he became a Van Boy until he joined the Royal Navy on 23 November 1903, when he entered HMS Northampton as a Boy 2nd Class. This was a seagoing Training Ship for Boys, at that time based a! Sheemess in Kent. He was paid at the rate of 6d (see Note 1) per day. Some two months later he moved to HMS Cleopatra, a corvette, probably still seaworthy but due to be relegated to Harbour Duties the following year. In her, he advanced to Boy 1st Class with 7d per day.

Compiled by Charles P. Ross, OMRS No. 2773

ROYAL IRISH CONSTABULARY

Camp Commandant A. Bain. Ashanti Star (attached to advance guard of Hausas 12 Jan. to 17 Jan. and later appointed Camp Commandant at Essiam Kwanti and subsequently Camp Commandant at Suta. Roll noted "per File, Gold Coast No 446. Roll signed by Col. Sir F. Scott 24 Aug. 1896 and issued 5 Sep. 1896 to Colonial Office 68/Ashanti/737". QSA w/CC, OFS, Tvl (Ops in OFS, May 1900; Tvl May-Jun 1900 including action near Jo'burg; Tvl East of Pretoria Sep 1900; Tvl West of Pretoria July-Aug 1900 including actions at Elands River 4-16 Aug 1900; OFS Jun-July 1900 & Oct-Nov 1900 including action at Rhenoster River; CC South of Orange River Apr-May 1900; Tvl-OFS-CC April 1901-31 May 1902. MID LG 10 Sep. 1901 & 29 July 1902). KSA w/ SAO1 & SAO2 (AS MAJOR, EE, RE). AGSM w/ North Nigeria 1906 (as Major, NNC). 1911 Coronation (unnamed, silver). Volunteer Long Service Medal -EVII (as Major EE, London Division Volunteers). Territorial Decoration (as Hon. Colonel, RE-Territorials, unnamed). Still living in 1920 and listed as Territorial Hon. Col., RE. Group was in Lovell's collection until 1978 and then sold.

by Raymond Duke

On July 25th 1985, the Commanding Officer officially opened the Museum at Dun Ui Mhaoiliosa previously known as Yellows Barracks, and before that, Renmore Barracks, when it billeted the Connought Rangers, or ''The Devils Own'' as they were nicknamed.

I must confess I do love to be on duty on any kind of service with the Irish. There is a promptness to obey, a hilarity, a cheerful obedience and a willingness to act, which I have rarely met with in any other body of men; but whether, in this particular case, these qualifications have been instilled into them by the rigid discipline of their corps, I know not, or whether these are characteristics of the Irish nation. But I have also observed in that corps a degree of liberality amongst the men I have never seen in any other corps - a willingness to share their crust with their comrades, an indescribably cheerfulness in obliging and accommodating each other, and an anxiety to serve each other and to hide each other's faults. In that corps there was a unity I have never seen in any other; and as for fighting they were very devils.

Memoirs of Lt. John Shipp, 87th Regt 1815-1825 (later the Royal Irish Fusiliers)