The 3rd Tipperary Brigade () was one of the most active of approximately 80 such units that constituted the IRA during the Irish War of Independence. The brigade was based in southern Tipperary and conducted its activities mainly in mid-Munster.
In December 1918 and January 1919, in a tin hut on a dairy farm in Greenane, Tipperary, members of the brigade planned what was to be the first act of the Irish War of Independence, the Soloheadbeg Ambush. In the early part of the war, four members of the brigade were the most wanted men in Ireland. The 'Big Four', as they were referred to in Ireland in 1919, were Seán Treacy, Dan Breen, Séumas Robinson and Seán Hogan. Raids, ambushes and ongoing military activities by the brigade battalions and flying columns made South Tipperary ungovernable for the British in 1920 and 1921, with the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) confined to what barracks remained occupied and the British Army only venturing out in large convoys. IRA leader Ernie O'Malley considered this brigade the best in the 2nd Southern Division, singling out Treacy, Robinson and Breen for their fighting outlook.Ernie O'Malley (1999). On Another Man's Wound (Colorado, Roberts Reinhard Publishers), p. 375
Background The period between the Easter Rising of 1916 and the start of the Irish War of Independence in January 1919, was one of growing tensions between the nationalist element of the Irish population and those in authority, particularly the RIC and British authorities. These tensions were set against the backdrop of increased membership of nationalist volunteer organizations across the country and meetings and open drilling of volunteer companies coupled with the jailing of a large number of political prisoners, raids on houses of political activists by the RIC and incidents such as the death of hunger striker Thomas Ashe.The IRB: The Irish Republican Brotherhood from The Land League to Sinn Féin, Owen McGee, Four Courts Press, 2005, 1918 saw the political stakes raised with the Military Service Bill coming into effect making conscription in Ireland legal and the proclamation issued banning nationalist organizations such as Sinn Féin, the Irish Volunteers, the Gaelic League and .The response to these measures was a significant upswing in anti British sentiment, emphasized by the overwhelming victory by Sinn Féin in the 1918 General Election and the anti-conscription rallies.Wikipedia page – 1918 in Ireland While some in the nationalist movement were satisfied with political victories there was an element that argued that the only way Ireland would ever obtain freedom was through a military confrontation with the British and particularly those who served British interests in Ireland.
By 1917 in South Tipperary, the volunteers were being formed into companies with regular drilling and instructions on the use of firearms. Raids for arms were undertaken during 1917 and 1918 as the Volunteer companies were arming themselves in the anticipation of future conflict.Aengus O Snodaigh (21 January 1999). "Gearing up for war: Soloheadbeg 1919". An Phoblacht. Seán Treacy was the driving force behind a lot of this activity and he regularly visited the local companies often accompanied by Dan Breen. The visit of de Valera to Tipperary Town in August 1917 generated great interest and enthusiasm. Treacy was Éamon de Valera's body guard when he came to Tipperary in 1917 to speak at political rallies. Treacy was arrested a short time later and sentenced to 6 months jail.Ryan, Desmond (1945). Seán Treacy and the Third Tipperary Brigade I.R.A. Kerryman Limited. The jails were full of activists who were arrested for drilling, singing banned nationalistic songs, parading in uniform etc. and they became a school for revolutionaries with men from all over Ireland discussing the plight of their country and what needed to be done to progress their cause. In the 1918 General Election, Sinn Féin candidates were overwhelmingly returned in County Tipperary. The relationship between the RIC and the Volunteers was increasingly hostile with clashes at political rallies or while the Volunteers were drilling. Séumas Robinson, a veteran of the 1916 Easter Rising, arrived in Tipperary in 1917 at the request of Eamon Uí Dubhir who he had met while they were both imprisoned.Bureau of Military History – Witness Statement 1348 Michael Davern Eamon Uí Dubhir and Maurice Crowe along with Treacy, Breen and Robinson were prominent in leading the activity of the Volunteers in South Tipperary in 1917 and 1918.
Establishment
The Third Tipperary Brigade, also known as the South Tipperary Brigade, was established in 1918. In October 1918 a Brigade meeting was held to elect officers, at P.J. Moloney's house in Church Street, Tipperary Town. Moloney was later in the year elected as a Sinn Féin MP. The house was burnt down during the war by British forces. Moloney's three sons were all members of the brigade. Richard Mulcahy from GHQ presided over the meeting.Irish Bureau of Military History- witness statement 1658, Tadhg Crowe Séumas Robinson was elected O/C (in absentia as he was imprisoned at the time and did not rejoin the Brigade until late December), Seán Treacy vice O/C, Dan Breen Quarter Master and Maurice Crowe Adjutant. The Brigade originally had six battalions with this later being extended to eight. These were Rosegreen, Cashel, Dundrum, Tipperary, Clonmel, Cahir, Drangan and Carrick-on-Suir.Bureau of Military History Witness Statement 1433, Michael Fitzpatrick
After Seán Treacy was released from Dundalk prison in mid 1918, Treacy and Breen along with Seán Hogan set up their headquarters in the 'Tin Hut' in Greenane. Here they tested explosives and planned activities. The 'Tin Hut' was a frequent haunt for many who would later play an important part in the Brigade's activities in the war, including Maurice Crowe, Dinny Lacey, Tadhg Crowe and Patrick O'Dwyer.Irish Bureau of Military History – Witness Statement 1432, Patrick O'Dwyer
Soloheadbeg The ambush led by Seamus Robinson, Sean Treacy, Daniel Breen and Seán Hogan at Soloheadbeg is generally acknowledged as the opening engagement of the war. Two members of the Royal Irish Constabulary were killed in the attack – Constable Patrick O'Connell and Constable James McDonnell.
The planning for Soloheadbeg took place in the 'Tin Hut' on a dairy farm in Greenane. Treacy, Breen and Hogan had been undertaking experiments with explosives there and considering ways to attack the RIC. Treacy was keen to commence hostilities and believed a military confrontation with the RIC and the British authorities was the only way to establish the Republic that Ireland had proclaimed in 1916 and voted for in 1918. In December 1918, they received information that there were plans to move a consignment of gelignite from the Tipperary Town military barracks to the Soloheadbeg quarry.
Treacy consulted his commanding officer, Seamus Robinson, who gave the go-ahead without consulting General Headquarters in Dublin, on the basis that what the eye does not see the heart will not grieve over.Bureau of Military History witness statement of Seamus Robinson https://www.militaryarchives.ie/collections/online-collections/bureau-of-military-history-1913-1921/reels/bmh/BMH.WS1721.pdf#page=113
They commenced plans to intercept the consignment and Dan Breen's brother Laurence, who worked at the quarry, received information that the consignment was to be moved around 16 January 1919. They anticipated that there would be between 2-6 armed escorts and they discussed different contingencies, such as where they would guard the RIC if they surrendered and that they would fire on the escort if they did not immediately surrender.Irish Bureau of Military History, Witness Statement 1432 Patrick O'Dwyer Robinson, who had returned to the Brigade area after his release from jail, was briefed by Treacy about the plans to seize the gelignite. Robinson supported the plan and confirmed with Treacy that they would not request permission from GHQ, if they did they would be obliged to wait for a response and even if the response was affirmative it might come back after the gelignite was moved.Irish Bureau of Military History, Witness Statement 1721, Séumas Robinson
'Those involved on the day of the operation were four officers of the 3rd Tipperary Brigade IRA; Seán Treacy, Dan Breen, Seán Hogan (then only 17) and Séumas Robinson. They were joined by five other Volunteers: Tadhg Crowe, Patrick McCormack, Paddy O'Dwyer, Michael Ryan (Donohill) and Seán O'Meara (Tipperary) – the latter two being cycle scouts.Aengus O Snodaigh (21 January 1999)'. "Gearing up for war: Soloheadbeg 1919
On each day from 16 to 21 January, the men selected for the ambush took up their positions from early in the morning to late afternoon and then retired and spent the night at the 'Tin Hut'. On 21 January around noon, Patrick O'Dwyer noticed the convoy leaving the barracks. The consignment was on a horse-drawn cart, led by two council men with two armed RIC constables guarding the consignment. O'Dwyer cycled quickly to where the ambush party was waiting and informed them of the details of the convoy.Aengus O Snodaigh (21 January 1999)'. "Gearing up for war: Soloheadbeg 1919
Robinson and O'Dwyer hid about 30 metres in front of the main ambush party of six, in case they rushed through the main ambush position. After the convoy reached the position where the main ambush party was hiding, they called on the RIC officers to surrender as masked men appeared in front of them with their guns drawn. The two constables took up firing positions and the volunteers fired upon them. Both RIC constables, Patrick O'Connell and James McDonnell, were killed.Irish Bureau of Military History, Witness Statement 1432 Patrick O'Dwyer As planned, Hogan, Breen and Treacy took the horse and cart with the explosives and sped off. They hid the explosives in a field in Greenane and threw a few sticks out on the roadside a few miles further on as a decoy. The explosives were moved several times and later divided up between the battalions of the brigade.Irish Bureau of Military History, Witness Statement 1450, John Ryan Tadhg Crowe and Patrick O'Dwyer took the guns and ammunition from the dead constables, while Robinson, McCormack and Ryan guarded the two council workers before releasing them once the gelignite was far enough away.Irish Bureau of Military History, Witness Statement 1432 Patrick O'Dwyer
Breen has left apparently conflicting accounts of their intentions that day. One implies that the purpose of the confrontation was merely to capture explosives and detonators being escorted to a nearby quarry. The other, that the group intended killing the police escort to provoke a military response."Treacy had stated to me that the only way of starting a war was to kill someone, and we wanted to start a war, so we intended to kill some of the police whom we looked upon as the foremost and most important branch of the enemy forces ... The only regret that we had following the ambush was that there were only two policemen in it, instead of the six we had expected."History Ireland, May 2007, p.56.
However, Robinson said that the plan was to call on the RIC men to surrender if there were only two, but to attack if there were six, as the eight IRA men armed only with one rifle (Treacy) and revolvers would be outgunned by eight.
"The reason for the difference was that there would be so little danger to us if only two appeared that it would be inhuman not to give them an opportunity of surrendering, but if six police turned up they, with their rifles, would be too great a danger to the eight of us to take any such risk as to challenge them and thus hand over our initiative. We had only one Winchester Repeater rifle and an agglomeration of small-arms.Irish Bureau of Military History, Witness Statement 1721, Séumas Robinson
On the run