The Little Book of Dalkey and Killiney

3

CRIME AND MAYHEM

NELSON'S HEAD

Nelson's Pillar near the GPO in O'Connell Street, Dublin, was blown up in an explosion carried out by a republican sympathiser, in March 1966. The only piece of the statue that remained intact was Nelson's head, which the old Dublin Corporation put into storage at its Clanbrassil Street depot. Students of the National College of Art & Design stole it from the depot and for six months, Nelson's head had a wandering existence, appearing at various venues in Dublin and even in an antiques shop in London.

One of its most bizarre appearances was on Killiney beach during the summer of 1966, when it appeared as a prop for a fashion photoshoot on the beach. Subsequently, the head was recovered and was stored for many years by Dublin Corporation at a depot in Ardee Street. Finally, in 2005, it was put on display at Pearse Street Library, where it can still be seen today.

POST OFFICE RAID IN DALKEY

In October 1922, there were two raids on the railway station at Dalkey, by republicans who seized mail bags. On the first occasion, about 300 letters were taken but were returned two hours later. All the letters had been opened and were marked 'Censored by the IRA'. In the second raid, the stolen letters were subsequently recovered on the Knocknacree Road in Dalkey.

WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, 1919-1921 AND IRISH CIVIL WAR, 1922-23

The War of Independence and the Civil War had but a slight impact on the wealthy citizens of Dalkey and Killiney, as well as their poorer compatriots, especially in the Dalkey area.

A local man, Paddy D'Arcy, was made commanding officer of the Old IRA, in charge of a dozen recruits. Especially during the Civil War, they tried to make an impact, but largely failed. They attacked the Free State military post on Killiney Hill over twenty times, without causing much damage. During one of their earliest ambushes, on 19 May 1920, the gang murdered William J. McCabe, the head gardener at Marino, one of the big houses in Killiney. The ambush took place at the foot of Victoria Hill, Killiney.

In October 1922, they smashed up the telephone exchange in Killiney and also robbed the accountant for the local urban district council of £350 in cash.

The demise of the Dalkey Flying Column came in March 1923, when it was cornered in a house at Albert Road, Glenageary. An Old IRA man was killed and so too was a soldier in the new national army. As for Paddy D'Arcy, he stayed on the run until July 1924, when he finally returned home. He stayed in the shadows for the rest of the 1920s, but after Fianna Fáil first came to power in 1932, he was reinstated to his old job in the civil service. He lived out the rest of his life demurely in Dalkey.

DIRECT PROVISION CENTRE

In April 2019, a poll was carried out in Dalkey by a local group that thought the area should get a direct provision centre. They said that since Dalkey is 98 per cent white, and largely old Irish stock, the town would be an ideal place for such a centre. A total of 382 people took part in the poll and 73 per cent agreed with the suggestion that the wealthy Dalkey areas should be considered for a Direct Provision Centre, instead of the usual less well-off areas that normally get such facilities.

Some of the comments that were included with the poll result were amusing. One respondent said that the centre should be built on a brownfield site opposite Pat Kenny's house, while another suggested that since Dalkey isn't far from Bono's home in Killiney, they could all go to the pub together.

BOMBING AND AMBUSHES

During the period of civil war in Ireland, ambushes and other events in the area were widely reported in The Irish Times and other Dublin newspapers of the era. The following are just three such articles from around Dalkey:

Scene of fatal motor smash near Dalkey, 23 Novmber 1922

A shocking motor accident occurred near Dalkey, Co. Dublin, at an early hour yesterday morning, when Lieutenant McKenna of the national army, was driving with a party of soldiers from the Harbour Barracks, Kingstown, along the Ulverton Road, towards Dalkey.

When about 40 yards from the scene of the recent fatal ambush [see below], and near the entrance to Bulloch Castle, the steering gear apparently went out of order and the Crossley tender collided with a tramway standard on the left-hand side of the road. The standard was smashed and the tender was completely wrecked, with the wheels and axles being broken and the bodywork reduced to matchwood.

Sergeant Thomas Doyle, a native of Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow, was killed instantly, his skull fractured by striking the roadway. Volunteer Thomas Whelan received severe injuries to the head and hip. The other occupants of the tender fortunately escaped with slight injuries.

The dead soldier and Volunteer Whelan were removed to the residence of Dr McClintock, at Dreghorn, Ulverton Road, where they were seen by Revd Father Fitzpatrick from Dalkey parish. Subsequently, the injured Volunteer was conveyed by military ambulance to Monkstown hospital, where he was received by Dr Weldon, the house surgeon, and detained as a patient. The body of Sergeant Doyle was removed to St Michael's Hospital, Kingstown.

Dalkey Ambush: a Verdict of Murder, 15 November 1922

Yesterday, at St Michael's Hospital, Kingstown, Dr J.P. Brennan, coroner for south Co. Dublin, held an inquest on the bodies of Mr H.A. Manning of Pilot Cottages, Dalkey, and Corporal Samuel Webb of the national army, a native of Kingstown, who were killed in an ambush at Ulverton Hill, Dalkey, on Monday night last. Mr M.A. Corrigan, chief State solicitor, appeared for the authorities, and Superintendent Kelleher for the Metropolitan Police.

The coroner, in opening the proceedings, said that the circumstances reported to him were that at 10.55 p.m. on the 15th inst., Privates Kavanagh and McNally with five other soldiers, were proceeding along Ulverton Road with a prisoner named John Keys when they were attacked with bombs, rifle and revolver fire from a field at Ulverton Road. Corporal George Webb and a civilian, whose supposed name was H.J. Manning, were taken to St Michael's hospital in Kingstown and pronounced dead by Dr Hesham, the house surgeon. Privates Sharkey and Leo Treston, who were with the patrol, were also injured and are now patients at Monkstown Hospital. Evidence of identification in the case of Mr Manning was given by Mr William Francis Waterhouse, Claremount, Killiney, who said that the deceased man was his brother-in-law, aged 43 and unmarried. He had spent Monday evening with the witness and left the house between 10.30 and 10.40 to go to his lodgings at Pilot Cottages, Bullock Harbour.

Margaret Kelly, 19, Library Road, Kingstown, identified the body of Corporal Webb as that of her brother-in-law, who was aged about 20 years and who was unmarried. Captain Keane of the Harbour Barracks in Kinsgtown stated that he had received a telephone message, as a result of which he went to Ulverton Road, the scene of the attack. A civilian stopped the car and the witness got out about 50 yards from the scene. Private Sharkey was lying on the road and a civilian was lying against the wall on the side of the road. An ambulance then came on the scene and removed the wounded. The witness found an unexploded bomb lying on the road.

Private Art O'Connor, from the Harbour Barracks, said that he was one of a patrol from the Barracks in Dalkey at about 11 p.m. When they reached the portion of the road where the rocks were protruding, rifle fire was opened on the patrol from the direction of the rocks. The witness lay down on the tram tracks. There was a bomb thrown, which exploded at the corner nearest to Kingstown. He saw Private Sharkey fall at the right side of the road. There was a civilian near him, who was also killed. A good deal of firing took place and another bomb was thrown, which exploded. The men were killed by the fire from the rocks.

Dr Michael J. Harty of St Michael's Hospital, said that he received the body of Private Samuel Webb. On examination, he found wounds on the left hand, a wound on the inner side of the left foot, near the ankle, and a penetrating wound on the right side. There was also a penetrating wound to the lower part of the right lobe of the right lung and the liver was also penetrated. Death was due to shock from the wounds.

In the coroner's opinion, the principal wound was caused by a bullet and not by a bomb splinter. The witness added that he had also received the body of Mr Manning and had found a punctured wound to the left ear, entering the skull and traversing the brain. Death was due to laceration of the brain caused by a .45 revolver bullet.

Lieutenant Commandant Joseph Flanagan of the Harbour Barracks, having described the finding of the bodies and their removal, said that when he arrived, the police handed him a bomb (produced in evidence) which had been picked up and put in a bucket of water. They later got two other bombs that had not exploded and seventeen empty and eight live rifle cartridges. Police Constable Joseph Keating, who searched the ambush scene, found an unexploded bomb behind the rocks where the ambushers had been, as well as seventeen empty cartridge cases and eighteen live cartridges. Mr Corrigan, the chief State solicitor, said that it was clear from witness accounts that these two men, a civilian and a national soldier, had been killed in the attack and that the people responsible were guilty of...