LIAM LANGLEY: 1916

Easter Week 1916

Positions held by Liam Langaley Easter Week 1916

Centre IRB Circle North Galway

O/C Tuam Company, Galway Brigade Irish Volunteers

Vice President Na Fianna Éireann

The situation in Galway was no different to that in the rest of the country in the week prior to Easter Sunday. Rumours were rife that something was happening although no firm word was coming through as to what exactly the plans were. Dispatches crisscrossed the country with messages and instructions. However by Saturday night most battalions in Galway were aware that the rising was to take place on Easter Sunday. Witness statements suggest that the plan was to take control of local RIC barracks and to use the captured weapons in any ensuing military action. One courier to arrive in Athenry was Margaret Brown (later Mrs Sean McEntee) who came on Holy Thursday with a dispatch. 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 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 Nicholls (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).

COUNTERMANDING ORDER

Handwwritten Order
Cancelling 1916 Rising

Sunday Independent
April 1916

In the meantime Eoin MacNeill’s 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 Tuam, Galway 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 Dublin 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 George Nicholls (Solicitor and Centre IRB Galway) and others (Hosty WS373, O'Droighneain WS374) . On that day a Miss Elizabeth O'Farrell arrived on the 1 o’clock train from Dublin, she also had a dispatch from Pearse for Commandant Lardner (IRB and Irish Volunteers) which said: ‘We are out from 12 o’clock today. Issue your orders immediately P.H.P’. Consequently orders were dispatched to all companies to mobilise immediately (O’Regan History). At 4pm on Easter Monday Liam Langley and George Nicholls went to Michael O’Droighneain of Spiddeal who was anxiously awaiting orders (O’D WS374). He was uncertain of the order and did not mobilise his Volunteers. He sought further instructions which in turn led to his early arrest the following day. The RIC quickly started to roundup suspects, Nichols and many other activists were arrested by Easter Tuesday.

Following his various meetings in Galway, Liam Langley brought back news of the rising to Tuam (Costello WS1330). Again, there was a general mobilisation of the North Galway circle IRB on Monday evening 24th April 1916 in Connolly’s Forge with Liam Langley in charge. He set about carrying out the orders from Dublin. The plan was to molbilise with the other companies under his charge at the Fair Green on Tuesday night. From there they were to march on Tuam and then to Athenry to join Mellows men. A train, driven by local volunteer Sam Browne, was to be waiting outside Tuam to bring the volunteers to Athenry. Browne was the loco engineer attached tot he Great Southern & Western Railway Co. (Nohilly)

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 including Castlehackett, Cummer and Headford, to protect Tuam (Henry, Pathway to Rebellion in Galway 1916) Around ten of the Tuam men arrived at the meeting in the Forge as planned at 9.30pm. Meanwhile, to witness statements there around ten men arrived at the meeting in the forge at 9.30, included in this group were: 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 continuously passed by in cars. Nevertheless 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 the Tuesday night. Costello 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.

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 this 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 com from many areas around Galway. The Volunteers felt vuln erable in The Agricultural College following attacks by the R.I.C. Consequently, Mellows decided this area was too open and on late on Wednesday brought the volunteers to command at Moyode Castle, where it was felt it would be easier to defend. Liam Langley cycled to Athenry on Wednesday and met up with Liam Mellows at Moyode 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 Friday word had come through that the British were organising a full scale assault 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 29 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 there 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

Newspaper report from Western People
Saturday 13th May 1916

At 4.30am on Monday 8th the Langley
home surrounded by R.I.C men
they arrested Liam and his mother
Margaret. Guns, ammunition and Sein
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 men 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 Langley's account of his arrest

In writing Liam has added 'my revolver and some ammunition was taken at the same time'

INTERNMENT

Liam Langley’s next destination was Wakefield prison where he arrived on June 2nd 1916 (Records). In Wakefield Langley was kept in solitary confinement with Terence McSweeney and Joseph McBride (brother John McBride). He was kept apart from the other prisoners when being sent to Frongoch (Langley written account). On the 11 July Liam was moved to Reading Prison where he was interned under the Defence of Realm Act (Prison Record:Ref:P/RP1/1/9) . Reading was the prison of internment to between thirty and forty men who were considered by the authorities to be the leaders and extremists of The Rising of Easter Week 1916; they thus required more supervision than other prisoners (Murphy, M., 2014, Political Imprisonment and the Irish 1912-2; Eamon Morkan, WS411). In Reading Liam Langley was interned with people such as: Ernest Blythe, Arthur Griffith, P.T. Daly, an old Fenian organiser; Thomas McCurtain, Terry MacSwiney, Seamus Robinson, Tom Craven, Frank Burke, Darrel Figgis, George Nicholls (Solicitor, Galway & IRB Centre, Galway), Sean Milroy, Peadar, O’Hanrachan, Alderman Cole of Dublin, William O’Brien, Alfie Cotton, Dennis McCullough, Pierce McCann, Hertbert Moore Pim, Michael Brennan, Eamon O’Dwyer, Joe Robinson, Dr Dundon, Henry Dixon, Ginger O’Donnell, Sean T. O’Kelly and Peadar O’Hannrachan (Blythe, WS939). Liam organised Irish languages classes in Reading for the Internees. He also became involved in planning the next stage of the fight for Irish freedom. Liam was released on 24 December 1916 under a general amnesty.

He came out more determined than ever to fight on for the freedom of Ireland. This he did but he relocated to Dublin to continue working for Irish independence.

POSTCARD FROM RICHMOND BARRACKS MAY 1916

Liam Langley Private Collection

Postcard sent by Liam Langley from Richmond Barracks to his mother, Margaret, in Tuam on Sunday 14 May 1916, two days after his detention there.

TRANSCRIPT OF POSTCARD

Dear Mother

Got here on Friday, things looking brighter. Asquith and Redmond here yesterday, so we are now allowed to write and receive letters and parcels addressed as above. P Dunleavy here, yet Joe C (Cummins) sent to England, no news of J Bourke (?) I met ??? brother from Clonmel and I see a brother of J O’Daly has been deported. An officer came and said we would be allowed legal aid, so I gave him Mr H Concannon’s name, and he has been written to and may be tried on Wednesday next. It looks as if a Good Home Rule Bill is only a question of days. You might send me a collar & tie. How is everybody in Tuam? Have any more been taken to the seaside? We got Mass at 11 today in the Barrack Square. Things are much better than in Galway Prison and the officers and men are as nice as can be expected. Several men let home today. ???? on With best love I am yours

Willie

Sunday 14 May 1916

Collars and ties were often used to smuggle messages in and out of prison. Laundry was sent out to prisoners families and was thus a source of communication. Therefore when Liam looked for a collar and tie his mother would have known that this was for communication purposes.