The War of Independence and the Civil War Stephen Fuller

kilflynn ira flying column, 1922.back (l r): denis o connell (lixnaw), stephen fuller (kilflynn), william hartnett (mountcoal), tim twomey (kilflynn). front (l r): terry brosnan (lixnaw), john mcelligott (leam, kilflynn), danny o shea (kilflynn), timothy (aero) lyons (garrynagore), tim sheehy (lyre), pete sullivan (ballyduff), paddy mahony (ballyegan, battalion o.c.).

in 1923, captured free state troops , imprisoned in ballymullen barracks in tralee dublin guard d landed in kerry shortly before. on 6 march 1923, 5 free state soldiers blown booby-trapped bomb @ baranarigh wood, knocknagoshel, north kerry, including long-standing colleagues of major general paddy o daly, g.o.c. kerry command. o daly ordered republican prisoners used remove mines. prisoners had received beatings after killings.

on 7 march, 9 prisoners ballymullen barracks, 6 jail , 3 workhouse, chosen broad geographical provenance , no well-known connections e.g. church. taken lying down in lorry ballyseedy cross , secured hands , legs , each other in circle around landmine. fuller amongst them. kilflynn parish comrade tim twomey stopped praying until prisoners tied up. , other prisoners said prayers , goodbyes, fuller continued watch retreating dublin guard soldiers, act later said saved him. mine detonated , fuller landed in ditch, suffering burns , scars. crossed river lee , hid in ballyseedy woods; missed amongst carnage disabled survivors bombed , shot dead automatic fire. collected body parts distributed between 9 coffins had been prepared. explosions , gunfire witnessed rita o donnell lived nearby , saw human remains spread next day. similar reprisal killings dublin guard follwed after ballyseedy.

fuller crawled away friendly home of currans nearby. took him home of charlie daly following day. injuries treated local doctor, edmond shanahan, found him in dug-out. moved in coming months, including burke , boyle families, , stayed in dug-out had been prepared @ herlihys 7 months.

a cover-up began immediately. paddy o daly s communication dublin returning bodies relatives differed cumann na mban statements - o daly complained simple propagnda - , later of bill bailey, local d joined dublin guard, told ernie o malley bodies handed on in condemned coffins band played jolly music. fuller named amongst dead in newspaper reports before realised d escaped. o daly sent communication ghq fuller reported having become insane . dublin guard scoured countryside fuller. official investigation killings, presided on o daly himself, major general eamon price of ghq , colonel j. mcguinness of kerry command. blamed irregulars planting explosives , exonerated irish army soldiers, , read out in dáil minister of defence, richard mulcahy.

contrary statements irish army s submissions ignored. lieutenant niall harrington of dublin guard, described evidence court , findings totally untrue , explaining actions devised , executed officers of dublin guard. had contacted kevin o higgins, minister of justice , vice-president, family friend, deplore findings. o higgins spoke richard mulcahy, did nothing. in separate incident, free state lieutenant w.mccarthy, d been in charge of 20 prisoners, said 5 of them had been removed in night. reportedly shot in legs blown by, in words, ...a free state mine, laid . resigned in protest.

a garda síochána report events dismissed , wasn t made public on 80 years.