The Heroes of the Mine.

This song, like the ‘The Martyred Five’ in volume one of ‘Songs of Iveragh-Amhráin Uíbh Ráthaigh’ refers to the killing of five anti-Treaty men by Free-State soldiers on a bleak spring morning on March 12th’ 1923. The song comes from a collection of songs that was written down circa 1923 by Denis/Jack Griffin the uncle of Michael Courtney of the Kerry III Brigade who was blown up on a mine by Free-State troops at Bahaghs on the 12th March 1923. I am very grateful to Phil and Paud Collins, Loher, for making this song and other material available to the Binneas Collection. The song deals with the killing of five men - Mike Courtney, Spunkane, Dan O‘ Shea, Islandboy, John Sugrue, Ballinskelligs, Eugene Dwyer, Reenieragh and Willie Riordan, an eighteen year old who also had two other brothers interred as a result of Republican activities. The men were first shot and then strapped to a mine at Bahaghs near Cahirciveen. The men had been arrested at a wake at Curravoola, following a day of intense searching by the Free-State army in the hills around Waterville. The prisoners were taken to the Bahaghs workhouse. The following extract is from ‘Tragedies of Kerry’ (Irish Freedom Press, 1924) by Dorothy Macardle:

‘The five men taken at the wake were called to some kind of court-martial on the 9th, yet no sentence was pronounced.’ The official line on the deaths of the five men was that it was through an attempted ambush on Free State soldiers that the Irregulars had lost their lives. The official report signed by the O/C of the Kerry No.3 Brigade contradicted this stating that there was no ambush in the vicinity as all troops had been removed from the vicinity of Cahirciveen and the workhouse. ‘There was no barricade, no mine laid there by us.’ A statement by Lieutenant McCarthy, himself a Free State officer, contended that the men were ‘murdered’ on the road. ‘The fellows that killed them were some of the Dublin Guard who were at the workhouse on Sunday evening. One of them was a divisional officer. There was no attempt to escape as the prisoners were shot first and then put over a mine and blown up. It was a Free State mine, laid by themselves.’

A request for the release of the men’s bodies was initially refused by the military, but the intervention of Fr Sheehan of Dromod, effected the release eventually. Two of the bodies were unrecognisable.

Source: Phil and Paud Collins (Private Collection)

Adhere all faithful Irishmen a sad tale I’ll relate

Concerning deeds both foul and mean of this so called Free State.

At Bahaghs camps they were interned five boys both loyal and true

Who did not fear to risk their lives for the cause of Rosín Dhú

It was on a cold march morning between four and five o’clock

A pack of outlawed savages ‘round the workhouse they did flock.

They dragged them from their dreary cells about a mile or so

Where the fatal mine was set that layed our loved ones cold and low.

At first they shot our heroes down for fear of their escape

Then threw them on that cursed mine to blow their corpse away.

Young Sugrue, Courtney and O’Shea, O’Dwyer and Reardon too