James Durney's new book 'Stand You Now for Ireland's Cause'

At the opening night of the recent military seminar held in the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge, author and broadcaster John MacKenna launched James Durney’s latest book. Coming at the end of the Decade of Commemoration celebrations it was appropriate that the book was a biographical dictionary of republican activists in County Kildare during the period 1913-1923. James Durney who was the first historian in residence for County Kildare has written the most important book of the many that have been published in recent years with the assistance of the Kildare Decade of Commemoration Committee. ‘Stand you now for Ireland’s Cause’ is a work of immense research and represents a fitting acknowledgement of, and tribute to, the men and women from this county, or those associated with County Kildare during the years of revolution. I have been reading the fascinating information in the book, especially that relating to men who were members of the 5th Battalion Carlow Kildare Brigade which covered Athy, Barrowhouse, Moone, Ballylinan, Moat and Castledermot. The Volunteers, formed in Athy in May 1914, evolved as the A Coy. of the 5th Battalion, while the B Coy. was centred in Barrowhouse, the C Coy. in Moone, later Ballitore, the D Coy. in Ballylinan, the E Coy. in the Moat area, with Castledermot having the largest membership comprised the F Company of the 5th Battalion. Early entries in the dictionary indicated the extent to how often members of the same family were involved as republican activists. John Behan and his younger brother Edward, who lived in Chapel Lane and later Matthews Lane, were both arrested as anti-treaty activists and imprisoned. James Brown and his brother Billy, both of Barrack Street, were members of Athy A Coy. Thomas Brown, who was also a Coy. member, may have been another brother, but this cannot yet be confirmed. Mick Curtis, whose three brothers, Patrick, Laurence and John were killed during World War I, was another member of the Athy Volunteers. Perhaps the most extensive family involvement as republican activists was that of the Dooley family members of 41 Duke Street. Seven members of that family were active participants during the War of Independence. The father of the family, Michael Dooley, was a Laois man who married Julia Bradley of Athy in 1893. The couple operated a grocery and provision store at 41 Duke Street which address was a regular meeting place for local republicans. Michael Dooley was a founder member of the local Gaelic League branch, as well as a founder member of Athy’s Sinn Féin Club. He was elected President of that club in May 1918 and was still the Sinn Féin President when the Civil War started. He played an extremely influential part in the development of Sinn Féin in the Athy area and following his death in 1933 the newly constructed housing estate on the Stradbally Road was named Dooley’s terrace in his honour. His brother Patrick Dooley who operated a bakery at Leinster Street, later the site of Mrs. Hughes shop and Madden’s chemist, was elected to Athy Urban District Council on several occasions between 1922 and 1934. He first stood as a Sinn Féin candidate and in later elections following the establishment of the Fianna Fáil party, stood as a candidate for that party. He was Chairman of Athy U.D.C. from 1929 to 1936. During the War of Independence, he served as a justice in the local republican court. Three daughters and two sons of Michael and Julia Dooley were also actively involved in the republican movement. Esther Dooley, who many of us will remember as Mrs. Hester May, was a member of Cumann na mBan who later moved to Dublin to work in the Sinn Féin publicity department as Secretary to Piaras Béaslaí. She was later Secretary to General J.J. O’Connell and Oscar Traynor. Esther married Athy man Joe May, who had been Secretary of Athy’s Sinn Féin club and who following his arrest in November 1920 was imprisoned in Ballykinler camp for almost a year. Esther’s sister Catherine was also member of Athy’s Cumann na mBan. She later married Eamon Malone, one time Commander of the 5th Battalion Carlow/Kildare Brigade. Eamon was captured while on the run in November 1919 and imprisoned in Mountjoy Jail where he was elected Officer commanding of the Republican Prisoners who went on hunger strike in April 1920. Julia Dooley, known as ‘Gypsy’ was another Dooley family member of Cumann na mBan, while her brothers Michael Junior and John were members of the Athy Coy. of Volunteers. John was arrested by members of the National Army soldiers during the Civil War which would seem to indicate that he might have taken the anti-treaty side. His brother, Michael Junior, on the other hand, joined the National Army and served as a sergeant in Tralee, Co. Kerry during some of the most bitter periods of the Civil War.