Train ambush of 1921 at Le Fanu bridge is marked
Mary Daly, Gerry McCarthy, Sr. Liz, James Laughton and Vincent Jackson

Train ambush of 1921 at Le Fanu bridge is marked

THE historic connection that living people have with Irish history was evident at the unveiling of a plaque at Le Fanu Bridge, to commemorate the Ballyfermot train ambush of July 1921.

It was an incident involving local men and the last major conflict of the Irish War of Independence.

On July 8, 1921, the 4th battalion of the IRA, made up of men from Ballyfermot, Inchicore, Drimnagh, Bluebell, and the Liberties, were waiting on what is now known as the Le Fanu Road Railway Bridge

A train carrying British troops, members of the Gordon Highlanders, military supplies, cars, donkeys and horses, as well as civilians, was ambushed as it passed under the railway bridge.

It was the first and last time, a Thompson submachine gun was successfully used in combat against the British during the War of Independence.

Diarmuid O’Connor is one such link to history. His uncle Padraig O’Connor, commanded the attack.

“He was 21 years old at the time – they grew up fast back then,” said Diarmuid (76).

Padraig lived in Inchicore, and Diarmuid remembers him fondly from his childhood.

“As a young lad, I stayed with him all the time. But I didn’t particularly like going for walks with him because he knew everybody and would stop to talk,” he said.

Another link to history is Helen Byrne nee Keogh, originally from Walkinstown, now living in Blanchardstown, her grandfather Edward P Keogh (Ned) was in the 4th battalion

“I was six when he died in 1957. The army fired a volley of shots over his casket, I was scared,” said Helen.

“He dropped dead at the age of 60 at work in Inchicore Works. My father Liam worked with him and got the call when he got home. They didn’t get what they set out to gain that day (of the ambush) but there was purpose.

“My own three kids went to Trinity College, and they had these opportunities because of people like my grandfather, and the sacrifices they made. Those were hard times.”

The Dublin City Council commemorative plaque – proposed by Ballyfermot Heritage Group – was unveiled by Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy on Friday, amid a good turnout of residents, representatives and media.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Lord Mayor said: “That this ambush took place in a quiet place like Ballyfermot brings home the fact that the War of Independence came to involve all kinds of people and places. In erecting this plaque we remember the sacrifices made, the men who were involved, and the civilians who were caught up in the fighting”.

Cllr Vincent Jackson (Ind) said the bridge and canal was the “M50 of the day” for the area “hence the significance of this event.”

“It is amazing that we have people here today who have that direct connection,” he said.

On that July day in 1921, a packed-train left Kingsbridge (Heuston) Station at 1pm, heading for the Curragh army barracks in Kildare.

The 4th battalion, some armed with small hand-guns and grenades made in the Inchicore Railway Works, took up on positions on the hilly embankment along the railway tracks.

The well-planned and executed operation at Ballyfermot was over in a few minutes, with one known civilian casualty, and many more injured.

Following the ambush, the burning and badly damaged train continued to Clondalkin Railway station for assessment. The injured and the traumatised civilians, many of whom had sought refuge under train seats and on the floor were disembarked. The military section of the train continued to the Curragh army barracks, where the burned-out shell was stored pending an investigation into events.

The evening papers of July 8, 1921 presented a split headline: one side announced ‘Train Attacked Near Dublin’ but the other, dominant, headline stated ‘Peace Conference Resumed – Mansion House’.

The Truce was formally declared the following Monday, July 11, 1921.

As one of the speakers at the event, Diarmuid O’Connor said his uncle and men were “salt of the earth.”

“They could see Ireland was under brutal occupation and facing a bayonet was the only way out. They were ordinary men but exceptional,” said Diarmuid.

“The ambush of Ballyfermot is a legacy for the people of Ireland. Patrick Pearse said ‘freedom can be lost and won again, but nationality is a life which, if once lost, can never be recovered.’

“I’m proud of our legacy and the people are too.”

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