Interview: Gortaglanna

Interview by Mattie Lennon  IT HAPPENED IN MAY.    Before the Civil War and prior to the Truce an atrocity took place in County Kerry which

Interview by Mattie Lennon

 IT HAPPENED IN MAY.

   Before the Civil War and prior to the Truce an atrocity took place in County Kerry which has been recorded in song and story. On 12 May 1921, a troop of Black and Tans were travelling out from Listowel towards Athea when they arrested four young unarmed men in Gortaglanna. Prior to this the barracks in Listowel had been burnt out and in retaliation the troops  decided to execute the young men. The first to be shot was Jerry Lyons. When this happened, Cornelius Dee decided, as he was going to be shot anyway, to make a run for it. He ran, and almost immediately took a bullet in the thigh but managed to keep going. He ran for about three miles. He was never recaptured but remained in hiding until the truce

    In 2021 I interviewed historian, the late, Dan Keane who told me the story of the song "The Valley of Knockanure" which was written about the shootings. I’m attaching an audio clip of that interview.