Tom Kehoe
Colonel-Commandant Thomas Kehoe | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 19, 1899 Rathnagrew, County Carlow |
| Died | September 16, 1922 (aged 22) |
| Cause of death | wounds received from the explosion of a mine |
| Resting place | Knockananna Cemetery, Knockananna, County Wicklow |
Thomas Kehoe (19 November 1899 – 16 September 1922) was an Irish revolutionary, soldier and member of Michael Collins's "Squad".
Early life
Kehoe was born on 19th November 1899 in Rathnagrew, County Carlow, near Knockananna, County Wicklow.[1][2][3] The family home straddled the border of the townlands of Rathnagrew Upper, County Carlow and Rathduffmore, County Wicklow.[1] His parents were Simon and Julia Kehoe.[1][2][3] Kehoe attended Rathmeigue National School.[4]
Kehoe left Rathnagrew/Rathduffmore at the age of 14, moving to Dublin to work as an apprentice fitter on the Great Northern Railway.[2][3][4]
1916 Easter Rising
Under the influence of his elder half brother, Mick McDonnell, Kehoe joined the Irish Volunteers in 1915. He became a member of the E Company, 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade. Kehoe and McDonnell were stationed at Jacob’s Factory, during the 1916 Easter Rising.[4]
Following the failure of the rebellion, Kehoe was held at Richmond Barracks until 26th May 1916, when the British Military announced a list of 206 prisoners, including Kehoe, to be released.[4]
The Squad
Kehoe was recruited by Michael Collins in The Squad in September 1919. On Bloody Sunday, Kehoe was part of the team that assassinated Lieutenant McMahon at 22 Lower Mount Street.[2][3][5]
Death
On 16th September 1922, an National Army convoy, lead by Kehoe, encountered a mine in the centre of the road at Carrigaphooca, while travelling from Macroom to Killarney. While they attempted to disarm it, a secondary device detonated, setting off the mine and killing Kehoe and six other soldiers.[2][3][5][6]
Kehoe was transported to Mercy Hospital, Cork, where he died some hours later.[5] Mary Collins Powell, sister of Michael Collins, tended to him there. She wrote to his mother:
I was present when Tom died, he died like a tired child going to sleep, he just closed his eyes and his mouth, and all was over... God loved him and I am sure after his brave fights, took him to join the Big Fellow.[1][4]
Kehoe's body was transported from Cork to Dublin abord the Helga, and he was later buried in Knockananna Cemetery.[1][2][3]
Legacy
Kehoe and his comrades killed at Carrigaphooca are memorialised by a cross and plaque at Carrigaphooca bridge, near the site of the explosion.[5][6]
Fabric, service stripes and buttons from Kehoe's uniform, kept by Vinny Byrne and displayed in his home until after his death, are now in Michael Collins Centre Museum, Ballinoroher, County Cork.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e Power, Christopher (2021). Tom Kehoe: the man from two counties. Carlow: Carlow County Council.
- ^ a b c d e f Mac Raghnaill, Eoin (5 October 2022). "Knockananna to celebrate the centenary of Colonel Tom Kehoe this weekend". Wicklow People. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Mac Raghnaill, Eoin (19 October 2022). "Knockananna community celebrates centenary of Colonel Tom Kehoe". Wicklow People. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Tom Keogh of Knockananna: His role in Bloody Sunday 1920". County Wicklow Heritage. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Michael Collins Centre acquires personal belongings of Squad member Tom Kehoe". Irish Heritage News. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b Doyle, Kieran (July 2019). "The Wild West" (PDF). Cork Rebel Way: the Road to Irish Freedom. pp. 49–50.