Bernard Ryan (–1921) was one of six men hanged in

Mountjoy Prison, Dublin Mountjoy Prison ( ga, Príosún Mhuinseo), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed ''The Joy'', is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Edward ...

on 14 March 1921. He was a member of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...

(IRA) and part of the Dublin Brigade's

Active Service Unit An active service unit (ASU; ) was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) cell of four to ten members, tasked with carrying out armed attacks. In 2002, the IRA had about 1,000 active members of which about 300 were in active service units. T ...

. He was one of

The Forgotten Ten The Forgotten Ten ( ga, An Deichniúr Dearmadta) were ten members of the Irish Republican Army who were executed in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, by British forces following courts martial from 1920 to 1921 during the Irish War of Independence. Bas ...

Background

He was born in the city of Dublin, the son of Joseph Ryan and Anne Ryan, née Plummer. Bernard, who was affectionately known as Bertie, was recorded with his widowed mother and his two sisters, Katie, and Sarah, in Quarry Lane,

Glasnevin Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...

, Dublin in the

1911 Census of Ireland The 1911 Census of Ireland was the last census that covered the whole island of Ireland. Censuses were taken at ten-year intervals from 1821 onwards, but the 1921 census was cancelled due to the Irish War of Independence. The original records ...

. He also had a foster brother, Paddy. He had attended St. Gabriels National School in Cowper Street. By trade he was an apprentice tailor and was 20 years old when he was hanged.

Trial and execution

Ryan, together with

Patrick Doyle Patrick Doyle (born 6 April 1953) is a Scottish film composer with Irish heritage. A longtime collaborator of actor-director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work composing for films such as ''Henry V'', '' Sense and Sensibility'', ''Haml ...

, Thomas Bryan, and

Frank Flood Francis Xavier Flood (1 December 1901 – 14 March 1921), known as Frank Flood, was a 1st Lieutenant in the Dublin Active Service Brigade during the Irish War of Independence. He was executed by the British authorities in Mountjoy Prison and was ...

, were tried by Court-martial on 24 February 1921 and convicted of

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

and 'levying war against the King', following an attempted ambush at

Drumcondra, Dublin Drumcondra () is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council. The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area. History The village of Drumcondra was the central ...

on 21 January 1921. The four of them, along with Thomas Whelan and Patrick Moran, were hanged at

Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison ( ga, Príosún Mhuinseo), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed ''The Joy'', is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Edward Mullins. History ...

by executioner John Ellis on 14 March 1921, while a crowd of over 20,000 people protested outside. They were hanged in pairs: Whelan and Moran at 6am; Doyle and Ryan at 7am; and Bryan and Flood at 8am.

Reinterment

He is one of a group of men hanged in Mountjoy Prison in the period 1920-1921 commonly referred to as

. In 2001 he and the other nine, including

Kevin Barry Kevin Gerard Barry (20 January 1902 – 1 November 1920) was an Irish Republican Army (IRA) soldier who was executed by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence. He was sentenced to death for his part in an attack upon a Brit ...

, were exhumed from their graves in the prison and given a full State Funeral. He is now buried in

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Ghlas Naíon) is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasne ...

, Dublin.

Bibliography

* * Thorne, Kathleen, (2014) ''Echoes of Their Footsteps, The Irish Civil War 1922-1924'', Generation Organization, Newberg, OR, ISBN 978-0-692-245-13-2

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Bernard 1900s births 1921 deaths 20th-century executions by the United Kingdom Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery Executed Irish people Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members Irish Republicans killed during the Irish War of Independence People educated at Belvedere College People executed by the British military by hanging People executed for treason against the United Kingdom