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| File Reference |
MSP34REF59531
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| Name |
Francis G Meagher |
| Gender |
male |
| Address detail |
| Street |
Irish Metal Industries, Earl's Island, Galway City
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| County |
Galway
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| Country |
Ireland
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| Notes |
Date of birth not recorded on file
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| Notes |
Date of death not recorded on file. Last correspondence from applicant dated June 1943
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| Associated files in MSPA |
34D2330
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| Easter rising service |
No |
| Organisation |
Irish Volunteers |
| Rank |
GHQ Officer
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| Division |
General Headquarters (GHQ)
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| Commanding Officer(s) |
Cathal Brugha
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| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
GHQ Officer
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| Division |
General Headquarters (GHQ)
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| Commanding Officer(s) |
Cathal Brugha; Ernest Blythe
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| Pension Claim |
Yes |
| Award Pension |
Yes |
| Army Pensions Act 1923/1953 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1924 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1934 |
Yes |
| Grade |
D |
| Notes |
Awarded 3 and 1/8 years for pension purposes at Grade D in 1943 under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934.
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| Military Service Pensions Acts 1949 |
No |
| Digital file |
Scanned/digital copyMSP34REF59531 Francis G Meagher.pdf
Scanned/digital copy34D2330 Francis G Meagher.pdf |
| File dates |
25 December 1940 - 21 July 1953
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| Subject Information |
File relates to Francis G Meagher’s receipt of a military service pension in respect of his service with the Irish Volunteers and the IRA in the service periods between 01 April 1918 and 11 July 1921 during the War of Independence. Meagher was awarded 3 and 1/8 years for pension purposes at Grade D in 1943 under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934.
It is stated on file that Francis G Meagher began to procure arms, ammunition and explosives from 1915 onwards for the Irish Volunteers and was mainly in touch with The O’Rahilly (1D493). Following the 1916 Easter Rising, the subject claims that his work became more wide scale under the direction of Cathal Brugha. Applicant states that was employed as an agent (on an all-Ireland basis) for three English companies – the Schultze Explosive Company, the Fred Williams Arms Company (Birmingham) and the Pulverman Company (London). In the 1917-1919 period, Francis G Meagher says that he used his position to procure arms and ammunition for the Irish Volunteers “through the ordinary trade channels”. He explained that Irish Volunteers or sympathisers in hardware merchant businesses across the island would make orders through him for arms and ammunition. Delivery was always handled by a man “nominated” by Brugha who was employed in the hardware merchants. Subject states that he met Brugha weekly to collect the names and addresses of “reliable” contacts and the quantity of arms and ammunition for order.
Francis G Meagher further states that he used his widespread knowledge of the various gunsmiths and hardware merchants across the island to procure arms for the Irish Volunteers. He mentions, as an example, that when Mr Moreton of Cork died and his niece took over the business, the subject bought from her a large quantity of .455 ammunition (rare), .303 ammunition and Martini Henry ammunition. Subject states that he collected the material in a traveller’s box and delivered to different Irish Volunteer contacts at various railway stations (Tipperary town, Cahir, Bansha etc.). It took him about a dozen trips in total. He further states that he bought up stocks of arms and ammunition from businesses in Kilkenny, Limerick and Maryborough (Portlaoise, County Laois).
In April 1919 during the War of Independence (January 1919 – July 1921), Francis G Meagher states that he helped to establish the Irish Overseas Trading and Shipping Company Limited and acted as secretary, co-director and manager. He says that Patrick Moylett (MSP34REF16385) was also co-director. Subject resigned from his representative job with the three English firms to devote his full time to the new company. This company was run under the political supervision of Ernest Blythe (Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Trade and Commerce). Subject states that the company was used as a cover for communication from GHQ Dublin to various republican consulates abroad and to procure arms and ammunition from agents across Europe. They had an office on Fleet Street which was never raided. Although they never bought or chartered a ship, the company had an empty storage facility in Sheriff Street, North Wall. Applicant says his work involved working alongside the Department of Purchases, Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Boycott. He says frequent callers included Peadar Clancy (1D412), Austin Stack, Gearoid O’Sullivan (24SP1369) and Diarmuid O’Hegarty (24SP6568).
The time periods are unclear from the file but the subject mentions sending a barrel of revolvers to units in Derry; the purchase of 20,000 (twenty thousand) Iver Johnson shotguns; the transfer of thousands of “heavy” shotgun ammunition from McCambridge’s of Carrickfergus, County Antrim to Donovan’s of Tralee, County Kerry; importing revolvers and “cheap” automatics through Molloy’s of Kilkenny and White Brothers of Omagh, County Tyrone (who were generally Pro British but had the “right kind of manager”); importation of Harrington and Richardson single barrelled shotguns through the Cork Timber and Iron Company (“It seems puerile in these days of dive bombers and tanks to talk of shotguns, nevertheless, they were much better than nothing”); importing small calibre shotgun cases which were fitted with new bullets (casted in a mould brought over from Birmingham) which could fit leftover firearms belonging to the National Volunteers and importing inkwells from Eustace & Company, Cork and other businesses which were made from an out of date pattern hand grenades but could easily be made workable by a new screw top.
As the war intensified, the applicant states that it became more difficult to procure material as consignments were searched more frequently. He claims that he transported quantities of arms and ammunition across the country himself and utilised firemen and sailors to bring in material from ships. Francis G Meagher mentions that he helped to procure a cargo of machine guns in New York City but they were seized before the ship set sail.
Subject did not apply for Truce period or Civil War service. He wrote “I had some remarkable escapes. It was deadly work but it was exhilarating. I believe, on the whole, I enjoyed it” (03 June 1941).
File includes a typed summary of sworn evidence given by the applicant before the Advisory Committee on 22 March 1941; handwritten notes of discussion with Gearoid O’Sullivan (“No information”) (19 February 1942); D O’Hegarty (“Cosgrave had a great opinion of him and so had Brugha”) (12 June 1942); reference from Ernest Blythe (1943) and correspondence with Department of Finance regarding a Superannuation award (1943). The last correspondence from applicant is dated June 1943 and there is no mention of date of death.
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