The Kildare Mutiny
Introduction from Chronology
Civic Guards, stationed in the old Artillery Camp in Kildare,
mutiny after the promotion is announced of a number of ex-RIC men.
More Detail
After the announcement of the promotion
of five more ex-RIC men into the upper ranks of the new Civic Guard, tensions
between ex-RIC and ex-IRA men in the Civic Guards camp in Kildare break out
into the open.
Led by Michael Daly (ex-IRA man
from Clare), a group of eight recruits writes to Commissioner Staines demanding
the sacking of the five ex-RIC men. Staines ordered a general parade of the
full camp (about 1,500 men) and calls on the eight signatories to step
forward. However, a shouting match
breaks out. Staines calls for the men
who stand by him to move to the left.
About 60 do so. About another 60
men, under Joe Ring, stand still but the majority move to the left. Staines and his men withdraw to their
offices. Ring tries to restore order but
cannot and he also withdraws.
The following morning, Staines
supervises the moving of about 350 men to Newbridge. Staines then went to Dublin to inform Collins
and Duggan about the mutiny, he offers his resignation but it is refused. Before leaving for Dublin, Staines asked the
pro-Treaty army stationed in the Curragh to come to the Kildare Civic Guard
camp and remove some of the arms held in the camp. That afternoon, two armoured cars arrive from
the Curragh to collect the arms but they are refused entry. A tense stand-off occurs but an outbreak of
fighting is averted by the intervention of a local priest. The pro-Treaty armoured cars withdraw. When Staines arrives back at the Kildare
camp, he is refused entry. The mutineers
take over the running of the camp appointing Patrick Brennan as the new
Commissioner. They also issue a
proclamation stating their loyalty to Provisional Government. See May-26-22/2.
Brian McCarthy has written a book
on this mutiny called “The Civic Guard Mutiny” (published 2012).