It is difficult to know when exactly Frank Carney became totally committed to achieving an independent Ireland. It may always have been there, a cultural need acquired from his parents in that small Enniskillen home. Alternatively, the notion that Ireland could and should be free may have come later, after he had joined the small group of Irish Volunteers in Enniskillen in December 1915.
What is certain is that in 1918 Frank Carney was devoting everything he had, his knowledge, his skills and his energy, to the cause of Irish freedom. By the end of that year he had built the Irish Volunteers in Fermanagh into a fighting force, with eight fully staffed companies, each well organised and tightly drilled. At 22 years-old, Frank was now Commandant Frank Carney, Officer Commanding for the whole of County Fermanagh, and one of Michael Collins' trusted IRB leaders.
What is certain is that in 1918 Frank Carney was devoting everything he had, his knowledge, his skills and his energy, to the cause of Irish freedom. By the end of that year he had built the Irish Volunteers in Fermanagh into a fighting force, with eight fully staffed companies, each well organised and tightly drilled. At 22 years-old, Frank was now Commandant Frank Carney, Officer Commanding for the whole of County Fermanagh, and one of Michael Collins' trusted IRB leaders.
Frank left us very little of his own story, there was no diary and only a few pieces of writing. In one of these precious snippets he let us know when it was that he joined the Irish Volunteers. He wrote this in a letter to the Derry Journal in 1927, at a
much later stage in his life when he was standing for election in Dáil Eireann for the first time.
Frank was responding to a damaging attack in a letter
published in the same newspaper in the previous week. The writer was saying that Frank's published profile was all lies:
“Mr Carney
did not join the IRA in 1916. He was then in the British Army, and did he not
remain in it till 1919?” 1
His rejoinder appeared in the very next issue of the Derry Journal:
“Not only was I connected with the Volunteers in
1916, but I was actually a volunteer in December 1915 as my service in the British Army terminated earlier that month. In Easter Week, 1916, I
was one of those Volunteers who were to march to Galway to receive the arms
from Roger Casement, my commanding officer at that time being Professor Frank O’Duffy,
now Secretary to the Minister of Education” (Frank Carney)2
The commanding officer at the time, Francis O’Duffy, had re-organised a small company of Irish
Volunteers in Enniskillen during 1915, and it is this that Frank had joined when he left the British Army. However, by the end of 1916 the Enniskillen Volunteer company was dwindling away, and its commander Frances O'Duffy had found his focus changing:
“When Sinn Féin began to spread as a movement, I
devoted most of my time to its organisation, as it was evident that the most
urgent need at that time in Fermanagh was sound national propaganda.”
( Frances
O’Duffy) 3
(
It was much the same story throughout the whole of Northern Ireland
during the war years, when there were few Irish Volunteer groups, very little
leadership and next to no activity. The few companies that existed were commandeered to help the growing Sinn Féin political movement.4
In early 1918, with the World War still raging, it was Britain's Lloyd George who breathed new life into the Irish Volunteers. At the beginning of the year he began to talk about bringing in conscription for Ireland and he brought forward a bill that was ratified in April 1918. The reaction was immediate, with protests against conscription throughout Ireland. Irish families had suffered greatly in what was now called 'Britain's War', and men were now prepared to fight against it. There was a surge in membership in the Irish Volunteers everywhere.
In early 1918, with the World War still raging, it was Britain's Lloyd George who breathed new life into the Irish Volunteers. At the beginning of the year he began to talk about bringing in conscription for Ireland and he brought forward a bill that was ratified in April 1918. The reaction was immediate, with protests against conscription throughout Ireland. Irish families had suffered greatly in what was now called 'Britain's War', and men were now prepared to fight against it. There was a surge in membership in the Irish Volunteers everywhere.
In Fermanagh at this time, Frank Carney came into his own. As new recruits came into the Volunteers, Frank trained them into soldiers and built them into fighting units, a role that he had perfected in
the Inniskillings:
“It was about
this time also that the late Frank Carney, T.D., became connected with the
Movement, firstly in the capacity as a Drill Instructor. Mr. Carney soon had
the Companies throughout the county under proper discipline and doing rifle and
open formation drill.”
(James J. Smyth, Captain IRA) 5
Frank was demonstrating the soldiering skills and capabilities that were exactly what the Leadership of the Irish Volunteers was looking for in 1918, so it is not really surprising that he came to the attention of one Michael Collins.
(James J. Smyth, Captain IRA) 5
Frank was demonstrating the soldiering skills and capabilities that were exactly what the Leadership of the Irish Volunteers was looking for in 1918, so it is not really surprising that he came to the attention of one Michael Collins.
Michael Collins |
"He insisted on weapons and tactical training, the procurement of weapons and proper administration. He compiled lists of officers and equipment from the affiliation forms he insisted upon being returned to him and slowly and methodically drew up a detailed picture of what was available".
(Commandant Peter Young, Military Archives, 1998)6
Despite having many roles in that year, Collins insisted on working hands-on with each of his commanders:
The IRB, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, was a secret, oath-bound organisation that had played a key part in recent Irish History. The leaders of the 1916 Rising were IRB members, and the Rising itself was organised under the auspices of the Head Centre of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.
It was almost certainly through these IRB channels that Collins learnt of the prowess of the young Frank Carney. Michael Collins was actively looking for soldiers who had the passion, skills and ability to take a group of men and to build them into a regular army battalion and Frank Carney fitted that profile precisely. It was even better if his Volunteer Commanders were sworn members of his secret Irish Republican Brotherhood.
Frank Carney was at this point directly responsible to Michael Collins as his superior officer both in the Irish Volunteers, and in the Irish Republican Brotherhood.
We learn later that Michael Collins put a great deal of trust in Commandant Frank Carney, for there remains a record of one, quite amazing, incident that occurred in January 1920.
(Commandant Peter Young, Military Archives, 1998)6
Despite having many roles in that year, Collins insisted on working hands-on with each of his commanders:
"His contacts with the local commanders were
not peripheral. He knew them personally, from his work after 1916 and
especially through the IRB"
(Commandant Peter Young, Military Archives, 1998)6
The IRB, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, was a secret, oath-bound organisation that had played a key part in recent Irish History. The leaders of the 1916 Rising were IRB members, and the Rising itself was organised under the auspices of the Head Centre of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.
In late 1917, Michael Collins was General Secretary of the
Brotherhood. In this role, Collins organised the IRB conventions in Dublin
where all country Centre Heads of the IRB came together, and through this he
could build a personal relationship with each one in turn:
"As Sectetary of the IRB, Michael Collins organised both
conventions and all country members of the Brotherhood were requested to meet
him before attending the conventions." (Vincent MacDowell 1997)7
Harry Boland & Michael Collins - both IRB Leaders |
It was almost certainly through these IRB channels that Collins learnt of the prowess of the young Frank Carney. Michael Collins was actively looking for soldiers who had the passion, skills and ability to take a group of men and to build them into a regular army battalion and Frank Carney fitted that profile precisely. It was even better if his Volunteer Commanders were sworn members of his secret Irish Republican Brotherhood.
Again, we don't know exactly when Frank Carney was asked to
join the IRB - one didn't apply, the only way in was by invitation. However, we
do know that he was a 'prominent member of the IRB' 4 and that Michael Collins appointed him
Commandant of the Irish Volunteers for County Fermanagh in late 1918:
“Mr. Nulty, who is attached to
the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, Dublin, left Enniskillen at the end of
1918 and was succeeded by the late Comdt. Frank Carney, T.D. Mr. Carney was
Officer in Charge of the whole area.” (James J Smyth, Captain IRA)5
Frank Carney was at this point directly responsible to Michael Collins as his superior officer both in the Irish Volunteers, and in the Irish Republican Brotherhood.
We learn later that Michael Collins put a great deal of trust in Commandant Frank Carney, for there remains a record of one, quite amazing, incident that occurred in January 1920.
______________________________
References:
1 Derry
Journal, Friday June 3rd 1927, Page 7
2 Derry
Journal, Monday June 6th 1927, Page 7
3 Frances
O’Duffy Captain 'C' Company, Enniskillen Battalion, Irish Volunteers, 1913,
Chairman Monaghan Dail Court, 1919-1920. Bureau of Military History, WS Ref #:
665
4 Robert
Lynch, The Northern IRA and the Early Years of Partition 1920 -1921, Irish Academic
Press, 2006
5 James
J Smyth, Captain IRA, Leitrim, 1921, Bureau of Military History, WS Ref #: 559
6 Peter Young, "Michael Collins
a Military Leader", in Michael Collins and the Making of the Irish State, Mercier Press, 1998. Commandant Peter Young (1950 - 1999) was Officer in Charge of the Military Archives.
7 Vincent
MacDowell, Michael Collins and the Brotherhood, Ashfield Press, 1997
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