Information about the Broy Harriers

Snickers Man

Anybody know where I could get some detailed information about the so-called Broy Harriers? All I know is that they were a sudden influx of anti-treaty republicans into the Gardai after Fianna Fail came to power in 1932.

Some people demonise them, especially the big farmers, the natural Blueshirt constituency, whose cattle they impounded in lieu of annuity payments that they refused to hand over. And later the recalcitrant IRA who saw that Britain's difficulty in World War Two was Ireland's opportunity and were quite prepared to co-operate with the Nazis to that end.

Anybody know any good sources? And even more unlikely, anybody know any good even-handed or even sympathetic sources?

McArmalite

Snickers Man wrote: »

Anybody know where I could get some detailed information about the so-called Broy Harriers? All I know is that they were a sudden influx of anti-treaty republicans into the Gardai after Fianna Fail came to power in 1932.

Some people demonise them, especially the big farmers, the natural Blueshirt constituency, whose cattle they impounded in lieu of annuity payments that they refused to hand over. And later the recalcitrant IRA who saw that Britain's difficulty in World War Two was Ireland's opportunity and were quite prepared to co-operate with the Nazis to that end.

Anybody know any good sources? And even more unlikely, anybody know any good even-handed or even sympathetic sources?

They beat a republican to death in the 30's in the barracks in a town near me. Such was the spirit of the times, the local GAA pitch was named after him. The 'rebel' Irish of today wouldn't be so brazen and partisan against the respectable forces of law and order these days though.

JWAD

Snickers Man wrote: »

Anybody know where I could get some detailed information about the so-called Broy Harriers? All I know is that they were a sudden influx of anti-treaty republicans into the Gardai after Fianna Fail came to power in 1932.

Some people demonise them, especially the big farmers, the natural Blueshirt constituency, whose cattle they impounded in lieu of annuity payments that they refused to hand over. And later the recalcitrant IRA who saw that Britain's difficulty in World War Two was Ireland's opportunity and were quite prepared to co-operate with the Nazis to that end.

Anybody know any good sources? And even more unlikely, anybody know any good even-handed or even sympathetic sources?

Sounds like a lovely bunch. Did they shoot policemen during armed robberies too?

Snickers Man

McArmalite wrote: »

They beat a republican to death in the 30's in the barracks in a town near me. Such was the spirit of the times, the local GAA pitch was named after him. The 'rebel' Irish of today wouldn't be so brazen and partisan against the respectable forces of law and order these days though.

Which one was that?

My understanding is that the main focus of their attention in the 30s would have been the Blueshirts. They were brought into the Gardai following Fianna Fail's election victory in 1932 because FF felt that after 10 years of Cumman na nGaedhal government, the police force was particularly hostile to "anti-Treaty" activists.

It was only in the 1940s when the IRA were a real and present danger to the State's war time neutrality that things got nasty, like really nasty, between them.

Remember the Broy Harriers were all former Civil War republicans.

McArmalite

JWAD wrote: »

Sounds like a lovely bunch. Did they shoot policemen during armed robberies too?

I think you have a misquote here. From what I know the Free State thugs known as the the 'branch' or 'taskies' were not prone to whacking one of their own, though they have a nice record - particularily during what was known as the " the heavy gang " era of the late 1970's - of beating people to death in a police cell. 12 in the space of about a year, with one man from Cavan been found dead with his hip and arm broken and kidney punctured from the kicking and punching he recevied over several days.

Needless to say no one was ever arrested or charged, though one of these 'heros' was invovled in a drunk driving incident coming from Lamb Doyle's pub in the Dublin mountains and killed a young girl and badly injured another waiting at a bus stop. This same 'hero' was also beleived to be invovled in the shooting of an INLA memember on the North Wall in the mouth - though the 'offical' line was that he went to grab a taskies gun and in the struggle the gun went off shooting him thru the mouth and out the back of his brain killing him. Amnesty International called for an offical investigation, but the Irish govt. declined as police brutality and murder doesn't happen in Ireland - does it ??

Gene Kerrigan's book Round Up the Usual Suspects would shed more light on Free State thuggery and I'd highly recommend it.

McArmalite

Snickers Man wrote: »

Which one was that?

My understanding is that the main focus of their attention in the 30s would have been the Blueshirts. They were brought into the Gardai following Fianna Fail's election victory in 1932 because FF felt that after 10 years of Cumman na nGaedhal government, the police force was particularly hostile to "anti-Treaty" activists.

It was only in the 1940s when the IRA were a real and present danger to the State's war time neutrality that things got nasty, like really nasty, between them.

Remember the Broy Harriers were all former Civil War republicans.

"Which one was that?" Jim Vaugh, from Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim.

JWAD

McArmalite wrote: »

Gene Kerrigan's book Round Up the Usual Suspects would shed more light on Free State thuggery and I'd highly recommend it.

Gene Kerrigan, the TV critic in the Irish Independent?
Thanks but no thanks.

I was referring to Jerry McCabe originally but never mind........

McArmalite

JWAD wrote: »

Gene Kerrigan, the TV critic in the Irish Independent?
Thanks but no thanks.

I was referring to Jerry McCabe originally but never mind........

Yes, that's the same Gene Kerrigan, an outstanding journalist. He used to wirte for the orginal Magill magazine which was under the editor of Vincent Brown and was completely different to the right wing sh!te that goes under the name of Magill nowadays. Gene Kerrigan these days only writes as a TV critic as his anti establishment line was regarded as too hot to handle when he wrote on current affairs for teh 'respectable' media of today.

As for the great Jerry McCabe, it makes my blood boil to hear the accusations that the Special Branch in Limerick were behaving as bad - indeed if not worse - as they did in Donegal with the McBreaty's etc. It's a pity though that their wasn't the same furore and political and media noise made about the people shot and beaten to death by the Free State thugs known as the Special Branch and those respondcible faced with the full application of the law as requested by Amnesty International. Would you not agree JWAD ??;)

Snickers Man

McArmalite wrote: »

This same 'hero' was also beleived to be invovled in the shooting of an INLA memember on the North Wall in the mouth - though the 'offical' line was that he went to grab a taskies gun and in the struggle the gun went off shooting him thru the mouth and out the back of his brain killing him.

Was that Eamon Byrne, back in the 1980s? The guy shot on the North Wall, that is. Not the policeman. I didn't realise he was INLA if that's the case.

McArmalite wrote: »

Gene Kerrigan's book Round Up the Usual Suspects would shed more light on Free State thuggery and I'd highly recommend it.

That's about the Sallins Rail robbery investigation isn't it? Osgur Breathnach, Nicky Kelly et al. None of them were beaten to death in their cells. Let's not exaggerate.


And anyway, I'm more interested in the original Broy Harriers, the guys who were recruited in the 1930s. Not so much the guys who succeeded them in the 70s.

McArmalite

Snickers Man wrote: »

Was that Eamon Byrne, back in the 1980s? The guy shot on the North Wall, that is. Not the policeman. I didn't realise he was INLA if that's the case.

That's about the Sallins Rail robbery investigation isn't it? Osgur Breathnach, Nicky Kelly et al. None of them were beaten to death in their cells. Let's not exaggerate.


And anyway, I'm more interested in the original Broy Harriers, the guys who were recruited in the 1930s. Not so much the guys who succeeded them in the 70s.

Not sure what the man's name was, it's back in the early 80's, I was invovled in several campaigns at the time, Birmingham 6, Guildford 4, opening border roads, also including Save Nicaragua (from Reagan's "freedom fighting" contras, though good old Uncle Sam was sending money, waepons etc to another bunch of "freedom fighters" the Mujahideen, who became terrorists known as Al-Qaeda when they statred to attack western interests ).

Though I do remember his wife ( a London Irish woman ) speaking about his death. To be honest - and not being dismissive or hurtful to anyone - the amount of deaths and state torture on the northern side of the border was almost weekly, obviously the Special Branch are south of the border but I really cann't go thru the fine details of each event.

And it must be said that before the Birmingham 6 etc became a cause célèbre, we got our fair share of hassle, stopping and searching, questioning and house searches from heros like Jerry McCabe and co.

Snickers Man wrote: »

That's about the Sallins Rail robbery investigation isn't it? Osgur Breathnach, Nicky Kelly et al. None of them were beaten to death in their cells. Let's not exaggerate.

No, I never said or implied that Osgur Breathnach or Nicky Kelly were beat to death in their cells, though if you read Gene Kerrigan's book, I do have to say the 'taskies' weren't too far off it.

Snickers Man wrote: »

And anyway, I'm more interested in the original Broy Harriers, the guys who were recruited in the 1930s. Not so much the guys who succeeded them in the 70s

Well I mentioned Jim Vaugh as one of the fine pieces of police work Broy and the Irish Gestapo carried out.

JWAD

McArmalite wrote: »

Not sure what the man's name was, it's back in the early 80's, I was invovled in several campaigns at the time, Birmingham 6, Guildford 4, opening border roads, also including Save Nicaragua (from Reagan's "freedom fighting" contras, though good old Uncle Sam was sending money, waepons etc to another bunch of "freedom fighters" the Mujahideen, who became terrorists known as Al-Qaeda when they statred to attack western interests )

What the hell has the Contra-Rebel scandal and an anti-communist campaign in Afghanistan to do with this???????

Also are you trying to justify the murder of Garda Jerry McCabe during an armed robbery?? If not, why all the moral relativism?

Snickers Man

Snickers Man wrote: »

Was that Eamon Byrne, back in the 1980s? The guy shot on the North Wall, that is. Not the policeman. I didn't realise he was INLA if that's the case.




That's about the Sallins Rail robbery investigation isn't it? Osgur Breathnach, Nicky Kelly et al. None of them were beaten to death in their cells. Let's not exaggerate.


And anyway, I'm more interested in the original Broy Harriers, the guys who were recruited in the 1930s. Not so much the guys who succeeded them in the 70s.

there was an interesting article on the Broy Harriers in "History Ireland" recently, you may be able to access it online.

eroo

McArmalite wrote: »

And it must be said that before the Birmingham 6 etc became a cause célèbre, we got our fair share of hassle, stopping and searching, questioning and house searches from heros like Jerry McCabe and co.

They were doing their jobs protecting the people of this State, and the State itself. You got your fair share of hassle I'd imagine, your views are known quite well so it's no surprise to learn this. But hassle you got, rightly so imo.

Btw, stop referring to the country you live in, work in, pay taxes in etc as ''Free State''. I would say leave go of the past, but you had nothing to do with that past (i.e. when the Irish Free State existed) so that would seem foolish.

Also, once again you throw around allegations with no proof whatsoever.

Snickers Man

McArmalite wrote: »

Not sure what the man's name was, it's back in the early 80's.

If it was Eamon Byrne, as I believe it was, (man shot dead in early 80s by Special Branch in North Wall) then you neglected to mention that he was part of a gang attempting an armed robbery at the time.

Now I am certainly not in favour of the police summarily executing suspected gangsters at the side of the road but if you take a gun on to the streets with the intention of using it to enrich yourself and/or your associates then you can take your chances.

Guns are dangerous things. You wave them around, they can go off. Isn't that what might have happened in the case of Garda McCabe? Isn't that why his killers were done for manslaughter and not murder?

Of course, the unkind think that key witnesses were intimidated into retracting their testimony but I like to think that sort of thing doesn't happen here.