Free Dan Breen and the IRA by Joe Ambrose Page A

was blown up by the battalion staff, that is by Brian Shanahan, Arthur Barlow, James Maloney, Matt Barlow and myself. I was present too at the destruction of Alleen Bridge. That was about a week before the Truce and I may say that I felt a sense of relief at seeing the end of that gelignite. Its history and its hairbreadth escapes from recapture by the military and police after the Soloheadbeg ambush … were almost as varied and as exciting as those of any of the men who took it.’

8 – The Knocklong Rescue
    The impressive thing about the rescue of Seán Hogan at Knocklong train station on the evening of Tuesday, 13 May 1919, was the manner in which the rest of the Big Four acted in instant harmony, like a hammer coming down on a nail. In My Fight for Irish Freedom , Breen would claim that they all felt it was ‘the decree of history’ that they would stand or fall together. Knocklong bears out this poignant contention.
    On Sunday, 11 May, a late night dance took place at Kilshenane. Eamon O’Duibhir, the host, said that, ‘the young and the brave and the beautiful from the countryside were there in great numbers. Seán O’Treasaigh, Seán Hogan, Séamus Robinson and, I think, Dan Breen were there. We were all there.’
    Mick Davern (Second Tipperary Brigade and, later, a popular Fianna Fáil TD) remembered: ‘Séamus, Dan, Seán and J. J. [Seán Hogan] and about seventy or eighty couples attended the dance which was under a heavy guard and covered by excellent scouting. The dance continued without incident until 5 a.m. … I had been keeping company with Mary O’Brien of Rossmore who was a prominent Cumann na mBan girl for some years and Seán Hogan was in love with Bridie O’Keefe of Glenough. Hogan intimated to me that he was returning with me to Rossmore. I informed Seán Treacy, who warned me, “Don’t leave him out of your sight and I will wait for ye at Lacey’s Cross”, which was near Glenough. I pumped Hogan’s bike and the four of us proceeded towards the village of Ballagh. When we got there Hogan asked me for the pump again, I handed it to him; he put it his pocket and said, “Tell the boys I’ll be in Glenough about four this evening”. I argued with him and told him of my promise to Seán Treacy and tried to get hold of his bike, but he jumped on it shouting, “Two is company, three is a crowd”.’
    For the first time in his life Davern dreaded his next meeting with Treacy, where he would have to explain what had happened. When they met, Treacy, known for his even temper, was visibly exasperated. He said he would have disciplinary action taken against Hogan and fumed that this was not Hogan’s first breach of authority. ‘This is not your fault, Mick,’ he said to Davern. ‘and this is not the first time he did such things. I will teach him sense when I get hold of him.’
    On 12 May, Hogan was advised, as he breakfasted and relaxed in the farmhouse where he’d stayed overnight, that there was about to be a raid. A party of RIC was approaching with the intention of making a low-key inspection of the farmhouse, as opposed to hunting for one of the Soloheadbeg gang.
    Hogan proceeded to walk directly into, instead of escaping from, the search party. His friends attributed his arrest to his unfamiliarity with the terrain but it seems that he could easily have escaped if he’d listened to his hosts. This debacle was an example of what was kindly referred to as his lack of common sense.
    At the time of his arrest, Hogan was not identified; he was really detained because he was caught trying to make an escape. Transferred to Thurles, he was interrogated there and, eventually, recognised as one of the notorious ‘Soloheadbeg Murder Gang’. Security was tightened around him as plans were made to transfer him to Cork.
    When Robinson, Treacy and Breen heard of Hogan’s