The Battle for Dublin

Introduction from the Chronology 

In sometimes fierce fighting in the first days of July, pro-Treaty forces clear anti-Treaty troops from a number of buildings in Dublin mostly in the city centre.

More Detail

Holed up in the ‘Block’ in O’Connell St, the O/C of the anti-Treaty Dublin Brigade, Oscar Traynor faced a dilemma.  He was being urged by many of his own people (such as Cathal Brugha and Maurice Twomey) to evacuate and resort to guerrilla tactics but did not want to do this as he considered that it amounted to surrender.  However, when faced with the artillery and armoured cars of the pro-Treaty forces, he eventually decided to gradually evacuate, leaving small groups behind as a rear guard.

When buildings in places such as Parnell Square and North Great Georges St were evacuated by the anti-Treaty forces, the fight became a house to house fight in O’Connell St with the pro-Treaty forces using the same holes in the walls between building that were made by the anti-Treatyites so that they could move between buildings.  Two pro-Treaty men were killed in this operation. 

Crowds gathered to watch the on-going fighting which resulted in civilian casualties.  Kate Dowling was killed on July 4th while watching the fighting on O’Connell St and Henry Hynes was shot in the head on the corner of O’Connell St and Parnell St. Also on July 4th, two children were found dead in a house in the Marlborough St area. A pro-Treaty soldier called Connolly was killed on Moore St. on July 4th.  

Gradually, from July 2nd onwards, the pro-Treaty army captured the anti-Treaty positions around O’Connell St, restricting them to fewer and fewer positions.  (The anti-Treatyites progressively evacuated – including prominent ones like De Valera, Austin Stack and Sean T. O’Kelly -   by melting in the crowds or going over rooftops.) Eventually, the pro-Treaty deployed their artillery – an 18-pounder was located at the corner of Henry St and O’Connell St and, on the other side of the ‘Block’ an improvised armoured train was brought up with a mortar to bomb anti-Treaty positions at Moran’s and Hughes’ Hotels.  The surrender by the party remaining in Hamman Hotel included an accusation of false surrender in which it was claimed that pro-Treaty Staff Sergeant Stapleton was killed. (However, a Captain Edward Stapleton survived the fighting and it is not clear if this was the man referred to.) One of the last groups to surrender was a party of nine men led by Cathal Brugha.  In the final moments of the surrender, Brugha was wounded and died two days later in the Mater Hospital.  There are conflicting reports on his shooting.

While most of the action was in the O’Connell St, a squad of pro-Treaty men led by Frank Thornton cleared the anti-Treaty men out of their base in 41 York St including a ‘one hour’s stiff fight’ to clear them out of the Swan pub on the corner of York St and Aungier St.   A sniper was killed near St Patrick’s Cathedral.  Also, the anti-Treaty post in Dolphin’s Barn was taken without a fight.

Even though there would be many subsequent ambushes and other actions by the anti-Treatyites in Dublin, by the evening of July 5th, the battle for Dublin was over with all positions which had been held by the anti-Treatyites in the hands of the pro-Treatyites.  In addition, there were about 750 anti-Treaty prisoners, mostly in Mountjoy. The O’Connor and Connolly (2011) book gives an account of the battle by Paddy O’Connor who was a pro-Treaty officer involved in the fighting.

 

Hopkinson says total casualties for the fighting in Dublin were 65 killed and 28 wounded. Macardle says that there were 60 deaths and 300 wounded in the eight days of the fighting in Dublin.  Doyle says that there were 62 deaths and 276 wounded between the 28th June and 6th July.  Townshend says 65 pro- and anti-Treaty troops were killed and an unknown of civilians “possibly well over 250”.  However, Dorney says that, at least, 81 people were killed in the seven days of fighting – “But the true total is almost certainly higher, particularly the civilian casualties” (Dorney 2018, pg 100).  He breaks the deaths down into 29 pro-Treaty soldiers; 15 anti-Treaty volunteers; at least, 36 civilians and one British soldier (Private Rodgers, RAF).

 

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