Edward
Tinneny was born on February 22, 1899 at Goladuff. He was
the fourth child of James Tinneny and Mary Ann McEntyre. He
was baptized at Saint Mary's Church in Newtownbutler. His
godparents were Margaret Tinneny and Patrick Tinneny. Ned
was raised on the farm at Goladuff.
As a
young man, in 1918 Ned joined and became a volunteer in the
Irish Republican Army in support of Ireland's War of
Independence. That year he became a member of the
Wattlebridge Company, "A" (Clones) Battalion, 1st Monaghan
Brigade, 5th Northern Division of Oglaigh na hEireann, the
Old IRA.
As a
member of that company he participated in activities with
his unit along the Cavan-Monaghan border in conjunction with
the Monaghan Brigade. His unit specifically saw action and
was involved in activities in the following areas of county
Monaghan: Clones, Scotshouse, Aghabog and Greenan's Cross,
Newbliss, Ture and Wattlebridge.
The total
strength of the above companies on July 11, 1921 and July 1,
1922 (representing the signing of the truce ending the War
of Independence and the commencement of the Civil War) was
242 volunteers.
Records
from the Irish Department of Defense verified that Ned was
involved in the following activities with his unit during
his service with the IRA:
|
Military training and police duties |
|
Raids for arms and ammunition |
|
Collection of funds for the purchase of arms
and ammunition |
|
Police duties at East-Cavan by -election on
21 June 1918 in which Arthur Griffith was
elected M.P. |
|
Police duties at general election held on 30
December 1918 the final results of which
were: Sinn Fein -73 seats, Unionists - 26
seats, I.P.P. - 6 seats |
|
Capture of Ballytrain Royal Irish
Constabulary barracks, February 1920 |
|
Destruction of Royal Irish Constabulary post
at Scotstown, April 1920 |
|
Raids for and the destruction of illegal
poteen stills |
|
Raids along the islands of Lough Erne |
|
Destruction of a police boat at Crom,
Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh in July 1920
during the above raids. |
|
Enforcement of the Belfast Boycott and
arrest of railway men at Clones and
Newtownbutler as part of the process |
|
Capture and destruction of a military lorry
at Wattlebridge, County Monaghan in
September 1920 |
|
Trenching and blocking of roads and cutting
communication equipment |
|
Exchange of gunfire with Royal Irish
Constabulary and Ulster Specials at
Wattlebridge in February 1921 |
|
Ambush on Ulster Specials at Wattlebridge in
February 1922. |
As a result of this involvement he was wanted
by the British authorities who would have arrested him if
given the opportunity. Therefore, he could not return home
to Goladuff and had to live far from the boarder of Northern
Ireland so that the British wouldn't lift him. From time
to time the British would cross into the Republic and lift
(arrest) the Sinn Feiners. Along with his brother Patrick
and other IRA volunteers Ned participated in a raid on
Castle Sanderson in 1920.
Following is an account of the raid on the
Ballytrain Constabulary Barracks that Ned and his brother
Pat participated in according to their military record. The
account appeared in The Anglo Celt newspaper
on February 21, 1920.
BALLYTRAIN POLICE
BARRACKS ATTACKED
______
FIGHT LASTS OVER THREE
HOURS
______
Barracks Blown Up, and Rifles
and Ammunition Taken.
_______
On Sunday morning there
was a daring attack on Ballytrain Police barracks, situated
in the small village 7 miles from the Cavan border, 8 miles
from Castleblayney, and 6 miles from Carrickmacross. The
attack, which opened at 2 a.m. appeared to be carefully
planned, all the roads leading to the barracks being blocked
by trees and other obstacles, while telegraph and telephone
wires in the neighborhood were cut.
The garrison
consisted of Sergeants Lawton and Graham. Constables Roddy,
Gallagher, Murtagh, and Nelson were aroused by the breaking
of glass and the barking of dogs. The barracks is situated
next door to the lock-up store owned by Mr. Mitchell, who
also has a grocery store on the opposite side of the road.
The glass in the windows of this latter shop were being
smashed, and rifle shots at once commenced against the
police, who returned the fire. Another gang of men took
possession of the lock-up shop, and from here directed a
fusillade on the barracks. For three hours a desperate
encounter took place, the raiders throwing hand grenades,
and the police replying with grenades and rifle fire.
Hundreds of
shots were exchanged, and at 5 o'clock the leader of the
attacking party demanded a surrender. The police replied by
continuing to shoot.
Immediately
afterwards a terrific explosion was heard, which blew in the
gable of the barracks; drove iron bedsteads and other
articles in the room through two walls, wrecked half the
building, and scattered sandbags on the main road.
As a result of
the explosion the sergeant was thrown into the passage
opening into the street and rendered unconscious. He was
pluckily dragged from this position by one of the
constables, just in time to direct a fusilade of bullets
directly on the passage.
About 50 men,
armed with rifles and revolvers and all wearing masks,
entered the breach, and took possession of the arms and
ammunition. They opened all the boxes in the place, and the
result of the raid was the capture of 6 rifles, 4 ordinary
pistols, an automatic pistol, a velrey pistol, 12
hand-grenades, some ammunition. When the raiders had
departed medical assistance was provided from Carrickmacross,
and the four injured men Sergt.' Lawton, Consts. Roddy,
Murtagh and Gallagher were removed to hospital.
Sergt. Graham,
interviewed by a newspaper representative said he had been
only three days in the district, having been unscathed
through a period of special service in Tipperary. He
estimated that 100 shots were fired by the raiders before
the bombs were thrown. At least 50 men came in after the
explosion and demanded their surrender. "With four men
down." said the sergeant, "we could do nothing else." They
took no money, and said they were glad no one was killed.
The sergeant asked if they had a doctor, and a reply was
received that they had not. They left by the Shercock Road,
and Sergt. Graham was compelled to walk 9 miles to
Carrickmacross for a doctor. He had tried to drive but the
road was blocked with felled trees, stones and an iron
gate. He estimated the number of raiders at 150 (but this
has been put by others at 80).
Constable
Roddy, who is suffering from injuries to his feet, gave a
grafic account of the attack. The woodwork in the room
nearest the gable was turned into ribbons and he and three
other men were covered with the debris. When the gable was
blown in the constable went to the brink of the room and
said that the police were giving up their arms. The leader
shouted "Throw out your arms quick or we will fire the
place". The constable then threw out his rifle, and the men
came in. They put Constable Gallagher, who was badly hurt
in the legs, on a table, and Constable Roddy in a chair.
When the raiders were told that none of the police had been
killed the leader said: "I am glad no life has been lost.
None of our men were shot either. We did. We did not come
to do injury, but only for arms."
Constable
Roddy told the men that he had 60 [pounds] in his box and
asked him not to touch it. The leader said: We don't want
your money. It is too much money we have." The leader
added that there might be a doctor about, and he went
outside and inquired.
Five minutes
later he returned stating that he was sorry there was no
doctor at hand. He left some bandages and said the police
could send for a doctor, and that no harm would come to the
messenger. Sergt. Lawton, who was injured on the shoulder,
arm and elbows was complimented by the leader of the raiders
on the fight they had made. The sergeant said: We fought
till we could fight no more. We fought till the barracks
was taken over and under us." Why didn't you surrender
asked the leader, and Sergt. Lawton replied: "We had no
notion of surrender."
Sergt. Lawton
described the explosion as awful, and said that he had been
present 3 weeks ago at the discharge of 200 lbs. of gelighte
in a quarry, but that was nothing to the explosion when the
barracks was blown up.
Constable
Gallagher, who is most seriously injured, was given a little
linen packet containing lint and religious emblems. Before
the explosion he had heard two calls to surrender, but they
continued to fire. The leader of the raiders, a tall man,
gave the orders through a megaphone, addressing the various
companies, of which there were 4, by numbers.
During the
attack he heard much whistling, and immediately before the
gable fell in three long whistles were given. This
constable, with Nelson, was in the room nearest the gable
and both were thrown clear of the room; the bedstead was
thrown through the ceiling.
On one a
disused house was pulled down and the stones thrown across
the road. An iron gate was placed in the center, making it
impossible to pass.
Just before 2
o'clock 20 armed and masked men knocked at Mitchell's
grocery shop, and as the knock was not answered at once they
smashed in the door with a plank. Mrs. Mitchell and three
other occupants of the house were placed in a room with an
armed guard, and kept there until 5 o'clock
The men with
the rifles went upstairs, smashed all the windows with their
rifles, and opened fire on the barracks. Mrs. Mitchell
asked that they should not be injured, and she was told that
no harm would come to those in the house. Other houses in
the neighborhood were closely guarded, and a screen of
bushes was placed at an adjoining cross-road.
Another party
of raiders liberated some cattle in a byre behind the
lock-up shop, and from there fired at the police. The
barrack presents every sign of the siege. All the walls
that remain standing are punctured with shots. Partitions
are smashed into matchwood, and ceilings are falling in.
Many holes around the place are evidence of the throwing of
hand-grenades, and a megaphone and a military bomb have been
found near the place.
Large forces
of military and police visited the place yesterday, and
searches were made of many of the houses in the district.
The Inspector-General R.I.C. also visited the scene.
Const. Roddy
is a native of Bunninadden, Co. Sligo, and Const. Gardiner
is son-in-law of Mrs. B. O'Rourke, Cavan. Mr. Mitchell has
lodged a claim for malicious injury.
Also
cited in both Ned and his brother Pat's military records,
released by the Irish Department of Defense, was their
participation in the action that resulted in a military
lorry being attacked and burned in Wattlebridge in September
1920. Following is a published account of that action which
appeared in the Anglo Celt newspaper on October 9,
1920:
______
MILITARY LORRY BURNED
______
BY ARMED MEN AT WATTLEBRIDGE
