Clashmealcon Remembered

The last great struggle of ther Civil War took place down by the Shannon shore at a place called Clashmealcon. It is a treacherous, rugged coastline stretching from Kerry head to Kilmore.Here stands a tall isolated turret of rock guarding a horse-shoe shaped creek whose base has been bitten in far under the cliff. In summer, the south coast of Clare, Loop Head and Ballybunion can be seen.

Commandant Timothy "Aero" Lyons from Garrynagore, Lixnaw was in Causeway in the Spring of 1923 when Free State troops came to make a round up. He and his men fought them off on every occasion. A comrade og his, Captain James McEnery, a native of Ballyduff, had a house a mile or so from the cliffs where he lived with his wife and his son.

His house was raided on Sunday and he and Volunteer James McGrath were arrested but McEnery escaped and ran to seek refuge among the cliffs. Volunteers Patrick O'Shea, Edward Greaney and Reginald Hathaway, (an Englishman who deserted the British Army and joined the IRA), were in a nearby house and when they saw the troops surrounding McEnery's house they opened fired. Meanwhile, McEnery was spotteed and pursued. Volunteer Tom McGrath saw this and opened fire on the Free State troops thus giving McEnery the chance to escape. Free State reinforcements from Ballyheigue came under the crossfire and they scattered.

That evening when the countryside was at peace again, Lyons and his men returned to McEnery's house: he was in delight over the days work. McEnerys sister Catherine spoke to him that night and asked what he was going to do. "I don't know," He said doubtfully. She then met with her brother and Volunteer Edward Greaney who told her that they were gong to a safe place. Three other members of the column were wary and went elsewhere but the six men, Lyons, McEnery, McGrath, O'Shea, Hathaway and Greaney went into Dunworth's cave.

Meanwhile, Volunteer James McGrath, Tom's brother was being interrogated in Ballymullen barracks by inhuman methods. Eventually he broke down and promised he would take the Free Staters to the cave. He thought the cave was empty at the time.

Early on Monday morning he came out with the Free Staters to Clashmealcon and they watched him as he clambered down theperilous path along the shingle to the mouth of Dunworth's cave. The Volunteers didn't blame him and took him into the cave. Lieutenant Pearson, a Free Stater from Dublin climbed down after him shouting "Come out!" but a shot was fired from the cave and he fell into the sea. Another came after him, O'Neil, and he too was shot, mortally wounded.

The Free Staters got hay and turf from nearby houses ans set fire to them and threw them down to the cave, trying to smoke the Volunteers out. Trucks came out from Tralee with petrol, tar and sulphurous liquid. They made poisionous fumes from dousing sheets and thowing them down but the wind changed and blew the flames out to sea.

During the night when the bombardment died down, they crawled out of the cave, one by one and climbed onto a ledge and into another cave. They were not noticed by the Free Staters above, their ruse successful. Volunteers Patrick O'Shea nad Tom McGrath volunteered to try and go further to seek help but in the darkness they were washed away and drowned.

On tuesday morning trucks came from Tralee with bombs, grenades, ammunition and reinforcements. An armoured car was driven to the cliffs edge and a machine gun and a searchlight were positioned overlooking the cave. The bombardment went on all day. The crackle of machinegun fire and the explosion of grenades shook the nearby houses.

On the 18th of April, the third day of the siege, a scout was ordered to go down. At around 10 o'clock as the scout was preparing to descend the cliff a shout was heard from below. Lyons had come out and put his hands up. Notes were passed from below as Lyons tried to negotiate a surrender. He would give himself up on condition that the others would go free. At about mid-day a rope was lowered and Lyons began to climb up and when he neared the top a Free Stater cut the rope and he fell 100 feet onto the rocks below. There was a dreadful cry of pain from below and a cry of triumph from above. Lyons was then riddled with machine gun fire which lasted for about ten minutes when a local priest, Father Chill stood at the cliffs edge and shouted "Savages! Stop shooting!" Lyons' body was washed away by the incoming tide.

The others were brought up shortly after and brought to the jail in Ballymullen barracks where they were almost beaten to death before being executed on the 25th of April.

On May 5th "Aero" Lyons' body was washed up on a nearby beach. He was buried in the Republican plot in Kilflynn alongside his local comrades Captain George O'Shea and Vol Tim Tuomey who both died at Ballyseedy.

Captain Jim McEnery and Vols Edward Greaney and Reginald Hathaway were buried in Ballymullen barracks but reinterred in the Republican plot in Ballyduff in 1924.

The bodies of Vols Patrick O'Shea and Tom McGrath were never recovered.

Vol James McGrath lived with the memory of the siege until the day he died, 29th January 1972.


In loving memory of the Volunteers of the

3rd Lixnaw Battallion

Kerry No. 1 Brigade

IRA