Historical Issues - Kevin Barry – A Martyr at 18

Samantha Bailie takes a look at the life of Kevin Barry, the young man who gave his life for his country at the tender age of just 18.

In Mountjoy jail one Monday morning, High upon the gallows tree, Kevin Barry gave his young life, For the cause of liberty.

Kevin Barry was born on 20th January 1902 in Fleet Street, Dublin to parents Thomas and Mary. The fourth of seven children, (one brother and five sisters) Kevin’s father had to graft hard to put food on the table, working on a farm and also running a dairy business. When Kevin was just six years old his father passed away, aged just 56. 

Upon her husband’s death, Mary Barry moved the family near the area she grew up in as a girl – Drumguin, Co. Carlow, and young Barry and his siblings attended the national school in Rathvilly.  When the family later returned to Dublin he attended St. Mary’s College in Rathmines, and at the age of thirteen he was on a trip to the commemoration for the Manchester Martyrs (who were hanged in 1867) and was so captivated by their lives that he told his mother he wanted to join Constance Markievicz’s Fianna na hEireann, such was his love for the cause, but she dissuaded him. 

After St. Mary’s, Barry transferred to Belvedere College where he was deemed a very serious student.  Teachers universally described him as “sincere and intense” and this reflected in his marks.  In his second year, at 15, he joined the IRA and was assigned to ‘C’ Company 1st Battalion. He later transferred to the ‘H’ Company under the command of Capt. Seamus Kavanagh.  His first job as a new member was delivering mobilization orders around Dublin.

Barry trained with other new recruits all around the city, and in 44 Parnell Square, which is the present day headquarters of Sinn Féin and has been renamed Kevin Barry Hall. During this time, the IRA held field exercises, which were carried out in north Co. Dublin.

Despite all Barry’s ‘extracurricular’ activities, he excelled in his schoolwork and was awarded a merit-based scholarship by the Dublin Corporation to study Medicine at UCD, upon completion of his secondary education.

One year later, Barry was introduced to the Clarke Luby Club of the IRB, (Irish Republican Brotherhood) which had just been restructured. He undertook a number of maneuvers; for example, he was part of the unit that raided the Shamrock Works for weapons intended to be handed over to the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) and he took part in the attack on Mark’s of Capel Street, looking for ammunition and explosives. He also played a prominent part in the seizing of the Kings Inn, capturing the garrison’s arms. In acknowledgment of his loyalty he was promoted to Section Commander. 

In 1919, at just 17, Barry entered UCD with his best friend Gerry MacAleer. Classmates were quite unaware that the lads were members of the Irish Volunteers, but their anonymity would soon be a thing of the past, as on 20 September 1920, just one year into medical school, Barry joined up with a group of IRA members in Bolton Street, Dublin. Their task was to ensnare a British army truck as it collected a delivery of bread from the bakery and seize their firearms. The ambush was arranged for 11am, which gave him ample time to take part in the maneuver and return to university for an exam at 2pm; however, the truck came late and was under the command of Sergeant Banks. 

Armed with a .38, Barry and his companions were supposed to encircle the truck, disarm the soldiers, and take their weapons and escape. He covered the back of the vehicle, and when confronted, the 5 soldiers obeyed the order to lay down their weapons. A shot was then fired, (some people have suggested that this could have been a warning shot from an uncovered soldier in the front) and Barry and his comrades opened fire, however, in the midst of gunfire, Barry’s gun jammed twice and he swiftly threw himself under the truck for cover.  His comrades fled, he was left behind and was arrested by the soldiers. (One of the soldiers, Private Harold Washington, had been shot dead and two others died later from their wounds). 

He stated only his name, his uncle’s address and his occupation as a medical student – he refused to answer any further questions

Barry was placed on the back of the lorry with the dead soldier and was subjected to abuse by Washington’s comrades. He was taken to the North Dublin Union and on arrival at the barracks was taken under military police escort to the defaulters’ room where he was searched and handcuffed. A short while later, three sergeants of the Lancashire Fusiliers and two officers began the interrogation. He stated only his name, his uncle’s address and his occupation as a medical student – he refused to answer any further questions. The officers continued to bombard him for information but he wouldn’t speak. 

A publicity campaign was organised by Sinn Féin and Barry received orders from his brigade commander to make a sworn affidavit concerning his torture in the North Dublin Union, with the object of having it published in English papers. The affidavit, drawn up in Mountjoy Prison days before his execution, described his treatment when he refused to give names, which included gruesome beatings with a bayonet to the stomach, having his arms pulled out of joint and other torturous acts. 

A newssheet produced by Dáil Éireann’s Department of Publicity published Barry’s statement alleging torture.  The headline read: ‘English Military Government Torture a Prisoner of War and are about to Hang him.’ The English refused to view Barry as a prisoner of war and treated all killings by the IRA as murder.

The War Office ordered that Kevin Barry be tried by court-martial. On 20 October, he was brought into the courtroom by a military escort and announced, “As a soldier of the Irish Republic, I refuse to recognize the court.” Ó hUadhaigh (his solicitor) then rose to tell the court that since his client did not recognize the authority of the court, he himself could take no further part in the proceedings.

Barry was charged on 3 counts of the murder of Private Marshall Whitehead. One of the bullets taken from Whitehead's body was of .45 calibre, while all witnesses stated that Barry was armed with a .38 Mauser Parabellum. He was returned to Mountjoy, and at 8pm, the district court-martial officer entered his cell and read out the sentence: ‘Death by Hanging.’ The date of execution would be 1st November.

You are the mother, my dear Mrs Barry, of one of the bravest and best boys I have ever known

On the day of his death, at the tender age of 18, a friend reported that, “He is meeting death as he met life - with courage.” He reported Barry as saying, "It is nothing, to give one's life for Ireland. What's my life compared with the cause?”

Kevin Barry was hanged on 1 November, after hearing two Masses in his cell. Canon Waters, who walked with him to the scaffold, wrote to Barry's mother later, “You are the mother, my dear Mrs Barry, of one of the bravest and best boys I have ever known. His death was one of the most holy, and your dear boy is waiting for you now, beyond the reach of sorrow or trial.”

Barry’s legacy lives on in song, history and folklore and will continue to do so throughout the ages.  For someone barely entered adulthood, he is one of the most prominent names in Irish history.