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| File Reference |
MSP34REF5687
|
| Name |
Frank Carty |
| Gender |
male |
| Address detail |
| Street |
Clooncunny, Ballinacarrow, Ballymote
|
| County |
Sligo
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Date of birth |
1897
|
| Date of death |
1942-09-10
|
| Associated files in MSPA |
34B17; 1P828; E443;
|
| Related files |
2D1 Sean Adair; MSP34REF215 Charles John McGuinness;
MSP34REF31203 James Lynch states he was involved in rescue of claimant from Derry Jail
|
| Civilian occupation |
Farmer;
|
| Easter rising service |
No |
| Organisation |
Irish Volunteers |
| Rank |
Company Officer Commanding
|
| Company |
Mullinabreena Company; Tubbercurry Company;
|
| Brigade |
Sligo Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
J. J. O'Connell;
|
| Organisation |
Irish Volunteers |
| Rank |
Battalion Officer Commanding
|
| Unit |
Tubbercurry Battalion
|
| Brigade |
Sligo Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
J. J. O'Connell; Liam Pilkington;
|
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Battalion Officer Commanding
|
| Unit |
Tubbercurry Battalion
|
| Brigade |
Sligo Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Liam Pilkington;
|
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Brigade Vice Officer Commanding
|
| Brigade |
Sligo Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Liam Pilkington;
|
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Brigade Officer Commanding
|
| Division |
3 Western Division
|
| Brigade |
4 Brigade; 5 Brigade
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Liam Pilkington
|
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Staff Officer
|
| Division |
Western Command
|
| Pension Claim |
Yes |
| Award Pension |
Yes |
| Army Pensions Act 1923/1953 |
Yes |
| Type of Award |
WGWound gratuity
|
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1924 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1934 |
Yes |
| Grade |
B |
| Notes |
Awarded 8 and 5/12 years service for pension purposes in 1936
|
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1949 |
No |
| Digital file |
Scanned/digital copyMSP34REF5687 Frank Carty.pdf
Scanned/digital copy34B17 Frank Carty.pdf
Scanned/digital copy1P828 Frank Carty.pdf
Scanned/digital copyE443 Frank Carty.pdf |
| File dates |
16 June 1925 - 17 April 1997
|
| Subject Information |
File relates to Frank Carty's receipt of a military service pension in respect of his service with the Irish Volunteers and IRA in the service periods between 1 April 1917 and 30 September 1923 and during the War of Independence, Truce period and Civil War. Applicant also claimed unsuccessfully for service in the periods between 1 April 1916 and 31 March 1917.
Frank Carty claims membership of the Irish Volunteers from 1914 and of the Irish Republican Brotherhood from 1915. Carty and references state that he mobilised at the time of the 1916 Easter Rising and met with Alec McCabe and Andrew Lavin among others in efforts to organise military activity in that area. Following the Rising Carty was involved in efforts to reorganise the Irish Volunteers and Sinn Fein in County Sligo. He attended officers training course, became a Company Officer Commanding and then a Battalion Officer Commanding and carried out training and organisational work. He states that he was appointed Vice Brigade Officer Commanding in late 1919. Carty was arrested in February 1920 in connection with an arms raid and imprisoned in Sligo Jail until his escape in June of that year. Also at that time he was elected to Tubbercurry District Council and Sligo County Council. Following his escape Carty commanded and/or took part in attacks on RIC/British forces at Chaffpool, Tubbercurry on 10 August 1920, attacks on Tubbercurry RIC Barracks on 26 and 31 August the attack which led to the death of RIC District Inspector Brady at Chaffpool on 30 September 1920, fighting against British forces burning premises in Tubbercurry in reprisal for Brady's death, and an attack on a party of police at Muckelty Hill near Achonry, County Sligo - exact date not on file. On the following 25 November he was captured by British forces at Moylough, County Sligo. He was imprisoned in Derry jail from which he escaped on 15 February 1921. He then travelled to Glasgow, Scotland where he was again arrested in April. In May an unsuccessful attempt was made by Scottish members of the IRA to rescue Carty while travelling in a prison van in Glasgow - an Inspector Johnston was killed and a Detective Sergeant Stirton was wounded in this incident. Carty was brought back to Ireland and court-martialled and sentenced to ten years penal servitude. In June 1921 Carty was elected a member of Dáil Éireann for the Sligo and East Mayo constituency and as a result released from prison following the Truce to attend a meeting of the Dáil on 8 August 1921. Carty states that he was appointed IRA Brigade Officer Commanding in September 1921. Frank Carty opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and became a member of the anti-Treaty IRA Army Executive in spring 1922 following the Army split. Carty states that following the outbreak of the Civil War that the senior officers of 3 Western Division IRA i.e. Liam Pilkington and Brian McNeill were initially opposed to taking armed action against the National Army forces. As a result he claims that it was agreed by himself, Thomas Carney of the East Mayo Brigade IRA and Seamus Kilcullen of North Mayo Brigade IRA to combine their forces and take independent action against the National Army forces. Carty states that he took command of the combined forces which then successfully captured Collooney from the National Army and took part in fighting in the Tubbercurry-Collooney area in the first half of July 1922. Carty states that in [August] 1922 the linking of these three brigades ceased and that he once more worked under the command of Divisional O/C Liam Pilkington. Carty and references state that Carty commanded/took part in the following operations: ambush of National Army forces in July at Rockwood at which the "Ballinalee" armoured car was captured; attack on National Army forces at Eskeragh on 25 August; the take over of Tubbercurry on 8 September and attacks on opposition forces there; an unsuccessful attack on Ballymote Court House on 12 September; fighting against National Army forces advancing via Lough Talt on Tubbercurry on 14 September in which National Army Brigadier General Joseph Ring was killed and General Anthony Lawlor wounded; an ambush of a party of National Army officers and men at Chaffpool on 13 November; an attack on a National Army patrol in Tubbercurry - date not on file; as well as the cutting of communications and travel links and other minor operations. He also states that on 4 November 1922 his forces executed two spies named O'Connor and Hunt at Moylough. He claims that in March 1923, following a reorganisation of the IRA he was appointed Officer Commanding, Active Service Units of the newly constituted IRA Western Command. He states that the cease fire order was issued before any major operations could be undertaken. He further states that he evaded arrest/capture and remained on the run until the end of 1924.
File includes: 35 page typed document entitled "Statement of Military Activities of Frank Carty, late O/C., 4 Brigade, 3 Western Division" containing typed statement of subject's activities from 1914 to 1924, a listing of the strength by company and battalion of 4 Brigade, 3 Western Division as of 11 July 1921, Mid-Truce period and 1 July 1922, unidentified newspaper cuttings of 23 March, [30 March] and 6 April 1935 reproducing extracts from a book entitled "Nomad" by Captain C. J. McGuinness in which McGuinness recounts his involvement in efforts to rescue Frank Carty from Derry and Glasgow Prisons, and an undated news cutting from the [Roscommon Herald] reproducing a statement from IRA Colonel Commandant Charles Gildea and one from National Army Commandant General M. F. Reynolds regarding the Rockwood ambush led by Frank Carty in August 1922 in which the armoured car "Ballinalee" was captured and during which Sean O'Daire (Sean Adair 2D1), who had been part of the IRA unit which attempted to rescue Carty from Glasgow Prison in 1921, was killed, and regarding the treatment of National Army captured and wounded following the surrender of National Army forces at this engagement; two copies, one with handwritten additions and corrections, of sworn statement made by Frank Carty on 27 June 1935 before the Advisory committee, Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 (4 pages); signed handwritten and typed letters and statements regarding claimant's service and service pension application from John P. Brennan, Garda Siochana Detective Officer T. S. McCarrick, Alasdair McCabe, Louis Henry, T. O Cearnaigh, Colonel J. J. O'Connell, Jim Hunt, James J. Lee, [Pádhraic Ó Domhnalláin], Sean Ginty, Thady McGowan and Andrew Lavin; typed copy four page letter dated 22 August 1935 from Frank Carty TD, to the Minister for Defence regarding the workings of battalion, brigade and divisional committees within the 3 Western Division area particularly regarding the compilation of activity reports and nominal rolls in connection with the workings of the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934, the background to and discussions that took place at a meeting of service pension claimant's from the Sligo and Leitrim county areas arranged by Charles Gildea and held on 18 August at Collooney Courthouse, accusations made at that meeting by Gildea that service pension applicants from Sligo were being dealt with unfairly in comparison to applicants from other counties, and the decision made at that meeting to send a deputation of six persons to see the Minister for Defence and that when the arrangements for the meeting with the Minister was arranged that all members of Dáil Éireann from the Sligo-Leitrim constituency be written to and asked to accompany the delegation, Carty's belief that Gildea's decision to invite Fine Gael representatives to the meeting at Collooney was for the purpose of ensuring that Carty and another Fianna Fail TD Stephen Flynn would bring pressure on the Minister and advising the Minister that should he agree to meet the deputation that he should put any reply to them in writing.
Letter also enclosed:
1) typed copy letters dated 27 June 1935 and 18 July 1935 from Carty to named representatives of the four battalion committees in the 4 Brigade, 3 Western Division area and Alfred Rochford, solicitor regarding the necessity to supply the [Military Service] Pensions Board with the names and addresses of all those serving in those units as of 11 July 1921 and 1 July 1922, noting the failure of the majority of companies to provide this information as yet, advising that a meeting of battalion officers be convened to deal with the situation and stating that no pension claims from the Brigade area will be dealt with until the required information is supplied to the Pensions Board, and
2) typed copy of notice regarding meeting to be held in Collooney Courthouse on 8 August 1935 as printed in the Sligo Champion newspaper on 10 August 1935 and typed copy of postcard addressed to Frank Carty from C. Gildea dated 9 August 1935 informing Carty of the meeting to be held at Collooney; handwritten copies of the strength of 4 Brigade, 3 Western Division, IRA as of 1 July 1922 compiled from information provided by Frank Carty and the 4 Brigade, 3 Western Division Committee; original signed typed letter dated 3 April 1936 from Frank Carty TD to the Secretary, Military Service Pensions Board regarding Carty's appeal against the findings of the Referee as regards his service pension application particularly in relation to his service between 1 April 1916 and 1 April 1918 and on the grounds that he was not being treated fairly in caparisoned to those who had applied and received pensions under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1924, in particular Alec McCabe and Andrew Lavin, enclosing supporting references from Alec McCabe, Andrew Lavin, James Hunt and Colonel J. J. O' Connell, and stating that Eamon de Valera TD (President of the Executive Council and leader of the Fianna Fail political party) had told the Fianna Fail members of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann "...that the purpose of the [Military Service Pensions 1934] bill was to secure equal treatment for those members of the I.R.A. ... to whom the 1924 Act did not apply ... that the1934 Bill was intended to "level up" the position between those who benefited under the 1924 Act and those who would be entitled under the 1934 Act." noting, that when moving the Second Reading of the Military Service Pensions Bill, 1934 in Dáil Éireann, that the Minister for Defence stated that after "Many arguments were put forward ... and after careful consideration" that the Executive Council had "...decided that as all the other contracts made by the previous Government ... were being kept, the pensions awarded under the 1924 Act should be continued and at the same time immediate steps should be taken to secure that those who fought with the I.R.A. in the Civil War should in future be given equal treatment." and that the Minister had also said "My advice to [the Referee] ...was to make sure that the pensions under the 1934 Act would be as generous as they were under the 1924 Act."; material relating to the settlement and closure of Frank Carty's service pension following his death in 1942; and material relating to the settlement and closure of his widow's pension account following her death in 1998 - partly closed.
File also includes material relating to Frank Carty's receipt of a gratuity of £40 in 1925 under the Army Pensions Act, 1923 in respect of the wounds received by him on 25 November 1920 while attempting to evade arrest/capture by British forces at Moylough, Tubbercurry, County Sligo. This material includes: medical report/examination regarding Frank Carty; report dated 6 August 1925 from Captain Domhnall O'Suilleabháin, Office of Director of Intelligence to Lieutenant Tully, Adjutant General's Department regarding Carty's membership and rank of the Irish Volunteers (IRA) at the time of his wounding, the circumstances surrounding his wounding and noting that Carty was a "...prominent Irregular ..." during the Civil War; and initialled handwritten note dated 16 September [1925] stating that the recommendation of an award to Carty is being made "...on purely medical grounds and without consideration of claimant's position politically."
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