Morelands, Abbey Street

Rechuchote

The Squad moved their operation to Morelands, a yard they set up as a supposed carpentry and painting shop, in Abbey Street. But where exactly was it? From Bill Stapleton's Bureau of Military History witness statement:

This attempted trap ambush, concentrated as it was on 100, Seville Place meant we had to abandon our Headquarters there. G.H.Q. Intelligence arranged a new Headquarters for us in Upper Abbey St., in a yard with a double gate entrance on to Abbey St. and opposite Stafford St. As this yard was not as secluded as our previous headquarters in Seville Place it was decided to put up a front in order not to excite suspicion of the many small shops and tenements immediately adjoining the premises. Accordingly we set it up as a Cabinet Makers Workshop and equipped it with the necessary tools and benches and we gave the appearance of real tradesmen at work. We painted the name George Moreland and Sons, Cabinet Makers and Wholesalers, in large white letters on the gate. A secret place was decided upon in the frame of the gate where a deeply embedded push-bell was installed, and a series of signals arranged for the squad members.

Stafford Street is now Wolfe Tone Street; George Moreland and Sons seems to have been where Ed's Barbers is now – when was the building housing the barber's erected?

Hermy

Do you have a date for when this took place?

Also, do you have a link to the source?

Hermy

The 1922 Thom's Directory has a listing for George Moreland Cabinet Maker at 10 Upper Abbey Street.

Rechuchote

Here's one of the sources (the one I quoted) https://www.militaryarchives.ie/collections/online-collections/bureau-of-military-history-1913-1921/reels/bmh/BMH.WS0822.pdf#page=45 Oh, and you were asking when the Squad were in action? July 1919 till the Civil War broke out in June 1922, and then they more or less went over wholesale to the Free State's enforcement arm, as far as I can see.

By the way, Hermy, do you have that 1922 Thom's as a physical book or is it available as a PDF?

Hermy

I viewed it on Ancestry.

Rechuchote

Ah, thanks.