by Joe Power
The brilliant member for West Clare was gradually recovering from his injuries suffered in a train crash. The gallant Colonel’s versatility stood him in good stead on the occasion. His rapid recovery from severe personal injury showed the FIGHTING soldier, and his immediate attention to the helpless, while he himself was dazed and in pain, showed the medical man at his best … These thoughts evidently pervaded the minds of the crowd at the late Miltown Malbay Races, for the Honourable Member’s arrival on the course was greeted with uproarious cheering, for the Milesian Irish dearly love a MAN … Colonel Lynch hopes to carry out in the near future the lecture tour which the railway accident compelled him to abandon.43
A War of Words
Another war broke out towards the end of the year. This time it was a war of words over the publication of a book by Col Lynch. He published a book entitled Ireland: Vital Hour in August 1915 and it proved to be a controversial, indeed notorious publication in which he outlined his liberal views on politics, education and religion and the role of the clergy in Irish politics. This book did enormous damage to his political career in County Clare, as it made powerful local enemies for him in the Catholic Church and in the Clare Champion.
Among the controversial topics discussed in the book was the role of the clergy in politics. In Chapter V he wrote the following:
I am resolutely opposed to priests in politics when the parish priest throws into the scale his sacerdotal emblems, and when he speaks ex cathedra and dictatorially on subjects wherein he has no special intelligence and where his religion, if truly invoked, would cover him with confusion.
Certainly the priests have great influence in politics in Ireland, they have undue influence, and it must be the task of Irish nationalists to emancipate themselves from that undue influence, if ever they mean to lift the country out of the slough of despond, where it has lain so long.
These questions must be tackled resolutely. This is not the way of popularity, but it is the way of the salvation of Ireland. Irishmen should face the issue with courage for it requires more courage sometimes to acknowledge a truth than to shout war cries to the approval of the mob.44
Naturally, such comments, which may have had a popular audience in Protestant England or in anti-clerical France at this time, were not popular in Catholic, nationalist Ireland. Lynch’s popularity rapidly evaporated when the contents of his book became known to his constituents in West Clare and they must have been concerned and alarmed when the book was condemned in the national and local press. A damning indictment of the book was published in both the Clare Champion and in the Clare Journal in late November by Fr James Monahan, Administrator of Crusheen, who wrote the following letter to the papers:
15 November 1915
Dear Sir,
Will you kindly allow me space in your valuable journal to tender my apologies to the nationalist electors of West Clare for having proposed at a nationalist convention in Kilrush, Mr Arthur Lynch as an MP for one of the most Catholic and nationalist constituencies in Ireland.
At the time I believed Mr Lynch to be an honest nationalist and would voice the cause of West Clare, with ability and fearlessness in the British House of Commons, and that he would be loyal to the Irish leader and the Irish Party. I have been sadly disillusioned.
His greatest effort in the House of Commons is to ask a question. And his loyalty to his leader and party is well known in West Clare, where he has been whispering their various drawbacks.
To have been the sponsor for such a representative is indeed cause for regret, but to have supported at convention a man who is the author of a book in which our Church, the pope and the priesthood of Ireland have been defamed, will be a source of regret to me for the remainder of my life.
There is one art in which he excels, and that is the art of libelling, slandering, and vilifying the Catholic Church, the pope and the people of Ireland.
With deep regret for having assisted to foist on the sterling nationalists of West Clare, the glorifier of Cromwell, Queen Elizabeth, of Luther, and Pitt and Castlereagh and the vilifier of the Catholic Church, the pope and the immortal Daniel O’Connell.
Yours, Faithfully,
James Monahan, Adm.
This sensational letter sparked off a war of words between Col Arthur Lynch, MP, and Fr Monahan, and others, which was waged in several editions of the local papers between 18 November and 25 December 1915 and indeed into the New Year. Col Lynch denied these charges and alleged that Fr Monahan had not read the book and had misquoted him and taken his words out of context. He asserted that he had not glorified Cromwell and other English rulers, nor had he vilified O’Connell, the pope or the Catholic Church. He ended his defence with confidence: ‘I am not in the least daunted, for I know that the great majority of the staunch men who elected me have full confidence in my intentions. I have a duty to them and to Ireland; I will do my duty up to the hilt’.
Several others, some under nom de plumes, also took part in the literary battle, which became more bitter as it developed. Fr Monahan’s final commentary on 20 December denounced the ‘anti-Irish, anti-Catholic calumniating book … by his vilification of the Catholic Church, the pope, the priesthood of Ireland and Daniel O’Connell, and by his glorification of Cromwell and Pitt and Castlereagh, he has secured for his book a ready and lucrative market among the enemies of Ireland’.45
The Clare Champion also attacked Lynch over the ‘notorious’ book and regretted his election as a candidate in West Clare in 1909:
We believed at the time of Mr Lynch’s selection at the Kilrush convention that the delegates were making a mistake. They knew little of the political character or antecedents of the Australian man from the mining camp at Ballarat. They selected him because of his incursion into the South African (Boer) War, which had nothing to do with Irish politics. They selected him as Fr Monahan proposed him and because they believed him to be a fighting nationalist.
At that time we believed that an honest fisherman from West Clare would have been a more creditable member, loyal to the leader and to the party, would understand the realities of Irish life and certainly he would never attack the Catholic Church, for fidelity to which our forefathers sacrificed everything and faced the cruel sword of Cromwell and all the penal statutes of Elizabeth and the rest.
Col Arthur Lynch, MP in 1915. (Photo from Ireland: Vital Hour)
However, Mr Lynch was selected, it was luckless and unfortunate, he has shown poor gratitude to the trusting electors of West Clare.46
Finally, Mr Egan, one of Lynch’s main supporters in Clare wrote to the Clare Journal ‘calling for a truce during the festive season in the somewhat painful controversy’ on the subject of ‘Ireland: Vital Hour’. The Clare Journal also rallied to Lynch’s defence, stating that ‘the gallant member for West Clare had arranged to meet his constituents during the Christmas recess, but serious illness in his household had compelled him to postpone his visit’.47
Col Arthur Lynch had enjoyed some popularity during his lecture tour of Clare in May 1915, but he did serious damage to his reputation in Ireland and to his prospects of re-election as MP for West Clare when he published his controversial book, Ireland: Vital Hour. With the publication of this book he managed to alienate two very powerful forces in County Clare at this time, the nationalist newspaper, the Clare Champion, and the Catholic Church. In the opinion of many influential Clare people Col Arthur Lynch, MP, was no longer ‘a jolly good fellow’.
‘Some Gallant Clare Men’
Several Claremen were the recipients of military awards. Two Clare officers were given medals of honour for bravery in battle. Capt. George W. Stacpoole of Eden Vale was given the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and Lt Robert Hallam Studdert, Hazelwood, Quin, of the Royal Field Artillery was awarded the MC for ‘heroic conduct and distinguished service in the field of battle’. Sgt Maj. T. Corry, from Labasheeda, a member of the Irish Guards, was awarded the DCM for ‘gallantry and courage under fire’. Sgt Thomas J. Lee,
RFA of Mullagh, West Clare was awarded the DCM and promoted to a lieutenancy for ‘gallant conduct in the field’. First Class Staff Sgt Maj. Michael McNamara of Market Street, Ennis, was presented with a bronze medal by the French Government for ‘an act of courage and devotion to duty on the battlefield’. The French Foreign Minister made the presentation. Sgt McNamara was one of four brothers serving in the army, two in the ASC, one in the Guards and one in the RGA.
The Saturday Record highlighted the bravery of Sgt Tom Corry of Labasheeda:
He was mentioned in Sir John French’s despatches, but it was not his first distinction, as he was similarly honoured some time ago – a unique record for a young man … The heroism of Irish regiments has been one of the most stirring features of the Great War and Tom Corry must have risked almost certain death in the firing line to win his renown and to worthily uphold the unparalleled bravery of Irishmen. The DCM comes next to the Victoria Cross for bravery. He has been in the war since the commencement – fighting for liberty against the hellish Huns – and he has emerged from many terrible engagements uninjured, but glorious … a fine type of Irishman and Catholic, highly intelligent and chivalrous to the utmost, but withal most gentle and unassuming, is it any wonder that Providence has been so kind to him … It is earnestly hoped that when the Kaiser’s fate is forever sealed, he may soon reappear crowned with fresh laurels in that little village by the Shannon, where a hero’s welcome awaits him.
Clare casualties, from the Saturday Record, 28 October 1916.
Another ‘gallant Clareman’ was Sgt Thomas J. Lee, of Mullagh, who was awarded the DCM and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant for his acts of ‘bravery in the field of battle’. He was in the army at the outbreak of the war, attached to the Royal Field Artillery, and was sent to France in August. He escaped unscathed until 29 November, when he was wounded in the arms and legs at Ypres. After he recovered from his injuries he was sent to the Dardanelles and being attached to the Australian contingent as a signaller, was among the first parties to land on the Gallipoli Peninsula. On the fourth day after landing he was cut off from his comrades, but he kept in contact with them by field telephone. After he was ordered to withdraw, he was making his way back to the British lines, when he observed a wounded Australian, about ninety to 100 yards from the line. ‘Without giving a thought to his own safety, he rescued the fallen comrade and carried him on his back to safety, being wounded in the leg, the shoulder and in the lung by Turkish fire while doing so, but they reached the safety of the trenches. After recovering from his wounds, again, Lt Thomas Lee, DCM, was sent back to the Dardanelles.48
Sgt Tom Corry, DCM, third from right, with members of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards. (Courtesy of Cormac O’Comhrai)
Capt. Robert H. Cullinan of Bindon Street, Ennis, RMF, who died for king and country at Gallipoli on 8 August 1915.
(Courtesy of Peadar McNamara Collection)
Telegrams from the War Office
As the carnage continued in several theatres of war on land and at sea, anxious families worried and prayed each day for the safety of their relatives – fathers, sons and brothers. The postman might bring a welcome letter from the field of war. But a telegram from the War Office only meant the worst possible news, and that was news of the death of their loved one. The telegram was usually followed by a letter written by an officer of the regiment in which the soldier was serving, by the chaplain attached to the regiment, or by a friend of the dead soldier. Examples of such letters included the following addressed by Lance Cpl Musgrave to Mr John and Mrs Augusta Carroll of Edenvale offering his sympathies on the death of their son, 24-year-old L-Cpl William Carroll of the 5th Lancers, Royal Irish Regiment, who was killed on 2 May 1915, at Ypres. His mother, Mrs Augusta Carroll was a Presbyterian who had been born in Germany, but had lived in Edenvale for many years, having married and settled locally. She may have had divided loyalties and her son may have been fighting against his and her own relations in Germany.
Dear Mrs Carroll,
… It was on Sunday, 2 May, and we were preparing to be relieved from our trenches where we were reserved. At about 5.30 in the evening the enemy made an attack with poisonous gases, which no doubt you have heard about. Our infantry were overcome by the fumes and we were ordered to advance to take their places. As we were advancing the shells fell very thick and our squadron happened to take the brunt of the fire. Will was knocked over by one shell and was trying to rise when another shell came and killed him on the spot. A married private with him was also killed, another died later and several were badly wounded.
It was impossible to get a message from him, but I know that he had your photo with him. It is impossible to tell the name of the place, but I can tell you it is where all the fighting has been going on for several months, and where thousands of our brave men have fallen. You have the knowledge that he did not suffer much, if at all. Our losses that day were four killed and about twenty wounded.
Another Clareman, Pte Pat McMahon from Ennis, of the Royal Munster Fusiliers, was also killed that week and his wife received a letter from his commanding officer, Capt. Filgate, who took great pride in the gallantry of the men and honour of the regiment in the field of battle:
I deeply sympathise with you in your great loss. It may be a little consolation to you to know that the regiment was the only one in the brigade to reach the German trenches, and behaved in a gallant manner. We are all proud of the many gallant officers and men that fell and they succeeded in adding to the honour and name of the regiment, which I know always came first with them.49
Pte Thomas Davis
One unfortunate young Clareman was court-martialled and shot by the British Army on 2 July 1915. Twenty-one-year-old Pte Thomas Davis, a member of the 1st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers, married with one son, from Ennis, was executed for allegedly deserting his post during the Dardanelles campaign in Gallipoli. He was the son of a shoemaker from Kerry, who had moved to Ennis and resided in a one-room cottage along with a wife and six children in The Turnpike area. Poverty was their lot and young Tommy Davis enlisted along with one of his brothers, Francis. After surviving the first landing at Gallipoli, in which there were huge casualties, Pte Davis was accused of being absent from his sentry duty post on 20 June 1915. Despite the fact that he, like many others, was suffering from dysentery, he was found guilty of ‘deserting his post’ and Pte Davis was shot at dawn (5 a.m.) on 2 July 1915 at Gully Beach on the Gallipoli Peninsula. He was posthumously pardoned in 2006.50
Pte Davis was one of about 138 people from Clare who died that year because of the war on the Western Front, at Gallipoli and at sea. Their bodies lie in France, Belgium, Gallipoli, Greece, and at sea.51
‘… Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori.’
Wilfred Owen (1917)52
Notes
1. CC, 1 February, 22 May, 18 December 1915 and SR, 6 February 1915.
2. CC, 20 February 1915.
3. Bishop Michael Fogarty to John Redmond, 8 June 1915, NLI, Redmond Papers, Ms 15188; CC, 1,8 ,15 May, 15 November, 1915.
4. SR, 20 November, 11, 25 December 1915.
5. Mark Tierney, Paul Bowen and David Fitzpatrick, ‘Recruiting posters’ in Fitzpatrick, David, editor, Ireland and the First World War (Mullingar: Lilliput Press and Trinity History Workshop, 1988), pp.47-58, passim.
6. SR, 23 January 1915.
7. SR, 30 January, 4 September 1915; Martin Staunton, op. cit.p 270, casts doubt upon the figure of over 200 recruits at Kilrush, stating it seems too high. Nevertheless, it does highlight the recruits from the area being cheered off by large crowds. CJ, 6 December 1915.
8. SR, 13 February; CJ, 13 May 1915.
9. Limerick Diocesan Archives, LDA/B1/ET/7 (episcopal correspondence Fogarty to O’Dwyer), 9 December 1915; De Weil, op. cit., pp.65, 71-74; CJ, 3 June, 15 November; SR, 15, 20 and 30 November 1915; CC, 15 November 1915.
10. Bowman, Timothy, Irish Regiments in the Great War, Discipline and Morale (Manchester: Manche
ster University Press, 2003), p.27; see also, Jane Leonard, The Catholic Chaplaincy in Ireland and the First World War, David Fitzpatrick (ed.), (Mullingaer: Lilliput Press and Trinity History Workshop, 1988), pp. 1-16 passim; Graves, Robert, Goodbye to All That, an Autobiography, first published in 1929, by Jonathan Cape in 1929, (London; Classic Penguin Edition, 2014), with an introduction by Andrew Morton, pp.240-241. Graves, a captain in the Welsh Fusiliers during the First World War, ‘who was brought up with a horror of Roman Catholics’, had great praise for the Catholic chaplains, who risked their lives to comfort the wounded and dying soldiers. He said, ‘No soldier could have any respect for an Anglian chaplain, who obeyed the orders’ (that is, to stay safely behind the front lines).
11. CJ, 13 May 1915; SR, 16 January 1915; SR, 20 February, 6, 20 March, 1 May, 26 June, 7 and 15 August 1915.
12. SR, 28 August, 4, 11 September 1915; CJ, 13 August 1915; CC, 18 September 1915; Glynn papers, ‘programme of their excellencys’ visit to County Clare’; Sir Basil Blackwood, secretary to Lord Wimborne, to H.R. Glynn, DL, 30 August 1915.
13. SR, 31 July, 6 December 1915.
14. CJ, 19 July; SR, 19 July, 6 November 1915. Fitzpatrick, David, Politics and Irish Life, 1913-1921, p.65. I remember on one occasion in the early 1960s when Martin Faulkner was in Clare Castle on an occasional visit, my father, Bernard Power, treated him to a glass of Guinness telling me that he had been an old soldier in the Great War. I am grateful to Mr Con Woods of Newmarket-on-Fergus for telling me the anecdote on 4 August 2014 about how Martin Faulkner, a Traveller, saved Jack Fox, the All-Ireland winning hurling star from Newmarket-on-Fergus, during the war. See article by Con Woods, ‘From Jones Road to the Somme’ in CC, 31 October 2014, p.22. See also an article by Joe O’Muirceartaigh, ‘Fox slashing, fearless and free’ in Clare People, 23 December 2014, pp.50-52.
