It is easy to forget that all around the country in small towns and villages Volunteers had drilled and practised for a Rebellion for more than two years. The Volunteers in Tuam were no different,
despite a depleted group following the ‘split’ and not having a great deal of
local support the Tuam Volunteers still came out for manoeuvres during Easter
Week 1916. MacNeill’s countermanding
added confusion to the situation, communication difficulties and surveillance
by the R.I.C. forced the Tuam Volunteers to disband at daybreak Wednesday 26th
April 1916. The following is an account
of their activities and Liam Langley’s involvement during that week.
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| Barney Mellows, Gary Holohan, Sean Heuston, Liam Langley |
The situation in Galway was no different to that
in the rest of the country in the week prior
According to John Hosty’s statement there was
confusion over the order, a meeting was held of commandants and captains of
the Irish Volunteers (all were also IRB members) to decide what to do, Liam
Langley (Centre, IRB Circle North Galway, O/C Tuam Company, Galway Brigade IV, VP Na Fianna Éireann) was in attendance. John Hosty was dispatched to Dublin on
the mail train at midnight to see Eoin MacNeill (Irish Volunteers) and
confirm whether the order was genuine or not. However George Nichols
(Solicitor and IRB Centre Galway) secretly requested Hosty to go straight to
Pearse and advise him what was happening in Galway and get clear instruction
as to how to proceed (IRB) (Hosty, WS373). However by Saturday night most
battalions in Galway were aware that they were being called out for major
muster on Easter Sunday.
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Eoin MacNeill’s subsequent countermanding on Holy Saturday night put a
stop to activities. His message was published in the national papers on Easter
Sunday morning, it read, ‘all parades of Volunteers arranged for the weekend
were cancelled’. On Saturday evening/night dispatches were also sent
around the country by McNeill with the order. McNeill’s order led to
confusion and uncertainty in Galway, Tuam and around the country in general
(Dunleavy, WS1489).
EASTER SUNDAY/MONDAY
Despite the unexpected developments there was general mobilisation of
the North Galway Circle I.R.B. on Easter Sunday night. They met under
Liam Langley at Connolly’s Forge, Galway Road, Tuam to discuss the turn in
events and make plans (Dunleavy WS1489). However, due to the conflicting
orders the men were uncertain of what action to take and thus disbanded.
Subsequently, Langley, on Easter Monday, received an order from Pearse which
read: ‘We are out from 12 o’clock today. Issue your orders immediately
PHP’. Langley set out for Galway from Tuam where he met initially with
Larry Lardner (IRB and Irish Volunteers), whilst there a further dispatch
arrived delivered by Elizabeth O’Farrell.
She arrived on the 1 0’clock train from Dublin, the dispatch was from
Pear4se and said: ‘We are out from 12 o’clock today. Issue your orders
immediately P.H.P’. Consequently
orders were dispatch to all companies to mobilise immediately (O’Regan
History. At 4pm on Easter Monday Liam
Langley and George Nichols went to Michael O’Droighneain of Spiddeal who was
anxiously awaiting orders (O’D WS374). He was uncertain of the order that came
to him and did not mobilise. He sought
further instructions which in turn led to his early arrest. The RIC quickly
started to roundup suspects immediately thus Nichols, and many other
activists were arrested by Easter Tuesday.
EASTER TUESDAY
Hence, the volunteers met in Connolly’s Forge on Easter Tuesday led by
Liam Langley to carry out the plan. He advised his men to go to
confession before the meeting. This they did, Fr John Heneghen at Tuam
Cathedral was there to hear their confessions. The plan was for the
Tuam Battalion to assemble at the Fair Green Tuam by midnight that night.
There was an expectation that up to thirty men from the surrounding companies,
(Dunmore, Sylane, Kilbannon, Barnaderg and Mountbellew), under Liam
Langley’s command, would assemble (Dunleavy, 1489; Nohilly WS1437; Ryan,
1320). R.I.C District Inspector Comerford had heard about the rebellion
by Monday. He gathered a force of over
100 ‘well-armed’ men from outlying areas, such as Castlehackett, Cummer and
Headford, to protect Tuam (Henry, Pathway to Rebellion Galway 1916). Meanwhile, about ten of the Tuam men arrived
at the meeting in the Forge as planned at 9.30pm; according to witness
statements those present included: Liam Langley O/C, Patrick Dunleavy, Joseph
Cummins, Thomas Nohilly, John P. Connolly, Patrick 'Pa' Connolly, William
Cannon, Sam Browne, (John Waldron?). Tuam in general and the Forge in
particular were under surveillance by the R.I.C. who continually
passed by in cars. Nonetheless the Tuam men mobilised at the appointed
meeting place of the Fair Green to await the arrival of the rest of the
Volunteers. As they waited for a contingent from Mountbellew (under John
Haverty) to join them, Liam Langley sent a dispatch of two men,
Patrick Dunleavy and Joseph Cummins, to locate the Mountbellew Company on
the Ballymoate Road. When the company had not arrived by the appointed
time of 1am Dunleavy and Cummins started to make their way back to Tuam,
however they were arrested on route by the R.I.C (Nohilly, WS1437, BMH).
The Dunmore Company was also expected
at the Fair Green on that Tuesday night. Costello had sent a dispatch
from Dunmore to contact Langley to confirm the meeting but the dispatch
returned saying that Tuam was occupied by Northern R.I.C men and he could not
get to Langley. Included in the Dunmore battalion were Michael Ronayne, William
McGill and Thomas Killgarriff. Hence Costello dismissed his men on
Tuesday night, he then travelled to Tuam on Wednesday but could not get into
the town as it was awash with the R.I.C. He decided not to try to
bring his men by train to Athenry (Costello WS2330, BMH).
The Tuam Volunteers dispersed at daybreak on Wednesday morning (Dunleavy
WS1489, BMH), however Langley was not willing to give up the fight and
continued as planned to make his way to Athenry by bicycle.
According to Witness Statements those that mobilised Easter week 1916
were members of the IRB North Galway Circle as well as being member of the
Irish Volunteers. Liam Langley was Centre of North Galway IRB Circle.
EASTER WEDNESDAY >>> SATURDAY AM
By Wednesday Mellows and volunteers, from many units in South Galway,
had taken up position in The Agricultural College and Model Farm (known locally
as The Farmyard) just south of Athenry. It was in Athenry that Liam
Langley joined up with his O/C Mellows and the Volunteers who had come from many
areas around Galway. The Volunteers felt
vulnerable in The Agricultural College and came under attack from the R.I.C. Consequently Mellows decided this area was
too open and late on Wednesday brought the volunteers to command at Moyode
Castle, where it was felt it would be easier to defend. Liam Langley continued
with the group to the Castle (family history, Langley written
account).
The situation in Moyode was tense with rumours rife of R.I.C and
battalions of British soldiers coming to attack the base. By the Friday
word came through that the British were organising a full scale attack on
Moyode Castle. It was decided to retreat to Limepark, an old
country house further south, late on Friday evening. The battalions of
Volunteers arrived at their destination at around 2am Saturday morning. On
their way to Lime Park two priests joined them in Craughwell, Fr Tom Fahy and
Fr O’Farrell. Recommendations from the
priests were for the men to disband, they assessed that the men were so badly
armed they stood little chance against any onslaught from either the R.I.C. or the
British Army. Mellows was not in favour of such a move; Fr Fahy suggested
a meeting of the officers be held in order to seek their opinion on the matter.
A very lengthy meeting was held during which the officers
agreed to disband. Fr Fahy spoke to the volunteers and advised to
them of the plan (Fahy, Rev. 383).
DISBAND
In the early hours of Saturday 29th April, five days after
the rising in Galway had begun; the remaining 350 men in Limepark were
advised to return to their homes protecting themselves as best they could as
they went. Liam Langley remained in Limepark with Mellows to ensure he
got out safely. Langley points out that Mellows and his men's escape was
made possible as a result of the activities of Langley and his men in Tuam.
Their presence and activities kept extra police in the Tuam area who would
otherwise have been sent to intercept the late Liam Mellows and his men
(Langley written account below).
ARREST
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Western People Saturday 13th May 1916
Liam Langley was arrested on Sunday morning 7th May as per RIC records |
At 4.30am on Sunday 7th May (incorrect date on newspaper) the Langley home was surrounded by R.I.C men, they arrested Liam and his mother Margaret. Guns, ammunition and Sinn Fein documents were confiscated in the raid. Both were brought to Galway for questioning, Margaret Langley was released and Liam taken into custody. From Galway Jail. he was moved to Dublin He arrived in Richmond Barracks Dublin on Friday 12 May 1916 (as per Postcard written to his mother from Richmond Barracks, family possession). On June 1st he was marched down the quays to the docks with many
other prisoners. Langley and fellow prisoners were loaded on cattle boats and
shipped to England in terrible conditions. Upon arrival in England the
Volunteers were dispersed to various prisons. Liam Langley was sent to
Wakefield, Frongoch and finally Reading where he spent most of his internment. He was released on 24th December
1916.
Liam's account of his arrest:
In writing Liam added ‘my revolver and some ammunition was taken at the same time’.
