Paddy McGrath: a 1916 veteran executed by De Valera

Paddy McGrath It is well known that those who saw service during the Easter Rising in 1916 and were executed, were summarily tried by a military tribunal, shot, then buried in unmarked graves. What is less well known is the last such execution of an Easter Rising participant was that of Paddy McGrath, ordered by Eamon De

Reprieve Petition Refusal: The Irish Press, 2nd Sept 1942

This is the text of The Irish Press coverage of the lead up to Tom Williams’ hanging on 2nd September 1942. Two years previously, on 6th September 1940, De Valera’s government had executed Thomas Harte from Lurgan and Patrick McGrath, a 1916 veteran. The difference in the coverage, publicity and reprieve campaigns are significant. The same could

Diarmuid Ferriter on the schemes to award pensions for service in 1913-24

Interesting piece on the various pension schemes by Diarmuid Ferriter in the Examiner. One of those whose experience he recounts is Tom Barry, who eventually had to have his application resolved, conveniently enough (for de Valera), by de Valera himself. The whole pension process being a form of auction politics in using pensions to reward or

Paddy McGrath: an Easter Rising veteran executed by De Valera

It is well known that those who saw service during the Easter Rising in 1916 and were executed, were summarily tried by a military tribunal, shot, then buried in unmarked graves. What is less well known is the last such execution of an Easter Rising participant was that of Paddy McGrath, ordered by De Valera’s Fianna Fáil