Tom Kehoe
Colonel-Commandant Thomas Kehoe | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 19, 1899 Rathnagrew, County Carlow |
| Died | September 16, 1922 (aged 22) |
| Cause of death | wounds received from the explosion of a mine |
| Resting place | Knockananna Cemetery, Knockananna, County Wicklow |
Thomas Kehoe (19 November 1899 – 16 September 1922) was an Irish revolutionary, soldier and member of Michael Collins's "Squad".
Early life
[edit]Kehoe was born on 19th November 1899 in Rathnagrew, County Carlow, near Knockananna, County Wicklow.[1][2][3] The family home straddled the border of the townlands of Rathnagrew Upper, County Carlow and Rathduffmore, County Wicklow.[1] His parents were Simon and Julia Kehoe.[1][2][3] Kehoe attended Rathmeigue National School.[4]
Kehoe left Rathnagrew/Rathduffmore at the age of 14, moving to Dublin to work as an apprentice fitter on the Great Northern Railway.[2][3][4]
1916 Easter Rising
[edit]Under the influence of his elder half brother, Mick McDonnell, Kehoe joined the Irish Volunteers in 1915. He became a member of the E Company, 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade. Kehoe and McDonnell were stationed at Jacob’s Factory, during the 1916 Easter Rising.[4]
Following the failure of the rebellion, Kehoe was held at Richmond Barracks until 26th May 1916, when the British Military announced a list of 206 prisoners, including Kehoe, to be released.[4]
The Squad
[edit]Kehoe was recruited by Michael Collins in The Squad in September 1919. On Bloody Sunday, Kehoe was part of the team that assassinated Lieutenant McMahon at 22 Lower Mount Street.[2][3][5]
Death
[edit]On 16th September 1922, an National Army convoy, lead by Kehoe, encountered a mine in the centre of the road at Carrigaphooca, while travelling from Macroom to Killarney. While they attempted to disarm it, a secondary device detonated, setting off the mine and killing Kehoe and six other soldiers.[2][3][5][6]
Kehoe was transported to Mercy Hospital, Cork, where he died some hours later.[5] Mary Collins Powell, sister of Michael Collins, tended to him there. She wrote to his mother:
I was present when Tom died, he died like a tired child going to sleep, he just closed his eyes and his mouth, and all was over... God loved him and I am sure after his brave fights, took him to join the Big Fellow.[1][4]
Kehoe's body was transported from Cork to Dublin abord the Helga, and he was later buried in Knockananna Cemetery.[1][2][3]
Legacy
[edit]Kehoe and his comrades killed at Carrigaphooca are memorialised by a cross and plaque at Carrigaphooca bridge, near the site of the explosion.[5][6]
Fabric, service stripes and buttons from Kehoe's uniform, kept by Vinny Byrne and displayed in his home until after his death, are now in Michael Collins Centre Museum, Ballinoroher, County Cork.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Power, Christopher (2021). Tom Kehoe: the man from two counties. Carlow: Carlow County Council.
- ^ a b c d e f Mac Raghnaill, Eoin (5 October 2022). "Knockananna to celebrate the centenary of Colonel Tom Kehoe this weekend". Wicklow People. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Mac Raghnaill, Eoin (19 October 2022). "Knockananna community celebrates centenary of Colonel Tom Kehoe". Wicklow People. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Tom Keogh of Knockananna: His role in Bloody Sunday 1920". County Wicklow Heritage. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Michael Collins Centre acquires personal belongings of Squad member Tom Kehoe". Irish Heritage News. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b Doyle, Kieran (July 2019). "The Wild West" (PDF). Cork Rebel Way: the Road to Irish Freedom. pp. 49–50.