 |
| File Reference |
MSP34REF2426
|
| Name |
Sean Desmond Keane |
| Gender |
male |
| Address detail |
| Street |
8 Brookfield Terrace, Blackrock (Address in 1923)
|
| County |
Dublin
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Address detail |
| Street |
"Ounavarra", Urban Villas, Tivoli Terrace, Dún Laoghaire
|
| County |
Dublin
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Address detail |
| Street |
32 Lansdowne Park, Limerick
|
| County |
Limerick
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Address detail |
| Street |
10 Redesdale Road, Mount Merrion, Blackrock
|
| County |
Dublin
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Date of birth |
1900-08-20
|
| Notes |
Date of death not recorded on file
|
| Associated files in MSPA |
34SP2554
|
| Civilian occupation |
Insurance;
|
| Easter rising service |
No |
| Organisation |
Irish Volunteers |
| Rank |
Volunteer
|
| Unit |
3 Battalion
|
| Company |
Blackrock Company
|
| Brigade |
Dublin Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Timothy Finn, Liam Pedlar; Sean Brandon
|
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Company Intelligence Officer
|
| Unit |
6 Battalion
|
| Company |
E Company (Blackrock)
|
| Brigade |
Dublin Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Liam Pedlar; Noel Lemass; Michael Chadwick; Joseph Flanagan
|
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Company Adjutant
|
| Unit |
6 Battalion
|
| Company |
E Company (Blackrock)
|
| Brigade |
Dublin Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Joseph Flanagan
|
| Pension Claim |
Yes |
| Award Pension |
No |
| Army Pensions Act 1923/1953 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1924 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1934 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1949 |
No |
| Digital file |
Scanned/digital copyMSP34REF2426 Sean Desmond Keane.pdf
Scanned/digital copy34SP2554 Sean Desmond Keane.pdf |
| File dates |
18 December 1934 - 01 May 1969
|
| Subject Information |
File relates to Sean Desmond Keane’s unsuccessful application for a military service pension under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934. Applicant claimed membership of the Irish Volunteers and the IRA in the service periods between 01 April 1917 and 30 September 1923 during the War of Independence, Truce period and the Civil War. Subject was awarded a Service (1917-1921) Medal in 1943, information held on file.
Sean Desmond Keane states that she joined No. 5 Unit/G Company (Blackrock), 3 Battalion, Dublin Brigade, Irish Volunteers under the command of Timothy Finn, Liam Pedlar (MSP34REF21572) and Sean Brandon. He states that he took part in the parade at the funeral of Thomas Ashe (1D313) (September 1917); lectures; attending the Wolfe Tone commemoration at Bodenstown, County Kildare (June 1918) and manoeuvres at Kill O Grange when police raided and arrested three volunteers (September 1918).
During the War of Independence (January 1919 – July 1921), Sean Desmond Keane claims his unit was re-organised as E Company (Blackrock), 6 Battalion, Dublin Brigade, IRA under the command of Liam Pedlar, Noel Lemass (MD915), Michael Chadwick (MSP34REF18109) and Joseph Flanagan (24SP238). He states that he was engaged in procuring arms and ammunition; moving company arms dump to safety following arrest of Company Captain; capture of rifle and ammunition from home of William Murphy at Springhill Cottages, Bray Road; taking arms from home of Sean Gaskin on the night that he was shot; rifle and bomb practice; intelligence work under Dick McKee (DP23324); appointed Company Intelligence Officer in early 1919 and used his job working in insurance to build up contacts; carrying material for burning of Kill Barracks (May 1920) and capture of arms from home of Professor Conway, Blackrock.
Applicant states that he was arrested in December 1920 while in possession of dispatches from the Battalion Intelligence Officer and a photograph of Captain King of F Company, Auxiliaries. Sean Desmond Keane claims that he managed to destroy the documents while in custody in Dublin Castle. He states that the authorities did not discover his real identity and released him after about two months.
Subject states that he was promoted to Company Adjutant in January 1921 and took part in armed street patrols; censoring mails; guard duty over arms dump in Beaufield, Stillorgan (May 1921); patrol duty at Kill O Grange; outpost duty at Galloping Green on night of Custom House attack (May 1921) and retrieving four guns from an unnamed civilian who had taken them after Willow Park ambush. Sean Desmond Keane states that he was arrested with TJ Lambert in May 1921 on suspicion of being involved in the fatal shooting of Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) Inspector Bell. He claims that the authorities did not find out their real identities and they were released.
During the Truce period, the subject states that his unit was re-organised as C Company (Blackrock), 1 Battalion, 2 Dublin Brigade, IRA under the command of Joseph P Flanagan and Andrew McDonnell (MSP34REF16644) and that he was appointed First Lieutenant. He claims that he took part in armed raids on homes of “Orangemen” in County Wicklow capturing one .38 revolver in one house; arms training at battalion training camp at Barnacaullia (two days per week); armed guard duty at Dáil Éireann debates at Mansion House; enforcing the Belfast Boycott and armed police work and arrest of civilian prisoners). He says that his home was raided by National forces in March 1922 and he went into Bray Barracks for full time garrison duty. Sean Desmond Keane states that he was promoted to Brigade Intelligence Officer, 2 Dublin Brigade, IRA in April 1922 under the command of Joseph Griffin (MSP34REF40) (Director of Intelligence) and Andre McDonnell (Brigade Commandant). Subject states that he took part in an unsuccessful attempt to track down a “notorious enemy officer” and guard duty over a German individual “whose identity [was] unknown to me” who had been engaged in running arms for IRA.
Taking the anti-Treaty side in the Civil War, Sean Desmond Keane states that he was with IRA forces in Blessington, County Wicklow and took part in the occupation and defence of Blessington Courthouse and Royal Bank. He claims that he took part in a rear-guard retreat back to Glencree, County Wicklow and then to 1 Battalion area. Subject claims that he was engaged in receiving and dispatch of reports form companies, battalion and General Headquarters (GHQ) and other intelligence duties. He says that he was arrested by National forces coming from brigade staff meeting at Eccles Street, Dublin in August 1922. Sean Desmond Keane was interned in Dundrum; Dún Laoghaire base; Portobello Barracks, Dublin; Portlaoise Prison, County Laois and No. 3 Camp Tintown, the Curragh, County Kildare until November 1923. He claims that he took part in a 15 day hunger strike while imprisoned in resigned from IRA In January 1924.
File includes an order dated 9 August 1923 by Risteard Ua Maolchatha (Richard Mulcahy), Minister for Defence, under the Public Safety (Emergency Powers) Act, 1923 and the Public Safety (Emergency Powers) No. 2 Act, 1923, detaining Sean Keane, 8 Brookfield Terrace, Blackrock and original documents including typed communication from IRA HQ, Dublin Brigade regarding the justification of shooting of “enemy transport animals” (no date); typed order (Copy No. 24) from IRA HQ, Dublin City Brigade stating that individuals providing information to “the enemy” concerning the “work or personally of the army” was a crime punishable by death and signed “by order / Adjutant General” (09/10 June 1921); typed order from Director of Engineering, IRA GHQ (Engineering Circular No. 12) stating that IRA units should not reopen trenches as British forces were filling them back in and placing Mills Grenades with the pins out to target IRA forces (30 May 1921); typed notice from Director of Training, IRA GHQ (Training Memo No.3) regarding attacks on fortified posts (1921) and typed notice from the editor of An t-Olgach [newspaper] “by order of the Chief Staff” to all company officers in the Dublin Brigade emphasising the “vital importance of sending in prompt reports of all military operations carried out under their command” (no date). File further contains references in support of subject’s claim from TJ Lambert [1936]; Joseph P Flanagan [1936]; Andrew McDonnell (1936); Michael Chadwick (1936); Joseph Griffin (1936); Liam Pedlar (1936); Niall MacNeill (1936) and Paddy Brennan (1936); typed statement of sworn evidence given by the applicant before the Advisory Committee on 16 January 1923, by Andrew McDonnell on 19 October 1936 (“He is a peculiar genius but a good I.O. A quiet, slippery type of fellow. You would never suspect him, he was very respectable”).
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