Detective Sergeant Denis O'Brien (17 June 1899 – 9 September 1942), sometimes called "Dinny O’Brien", was a veteran of the
Irish War of Independence and the
Irish Civil War. He joined the
Garda Síochána in 1933 and was killed by the
Anti-Treaty IRA
The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...
in 1942.
Early life
Denis O'Brien was born at 3 Boatman's Lane,
[
] near
Cork Street, Dublin
Cork Street () runs from the junction of The Coombe to Donore Avenue.
History
It was named after the first Earl of Cork and once formed part of the ancient highway "An Slighe Dála" connecting Dublin with the west of Ireland. On old maps it was d ...
, the son of Patrick O'Brien, a labourer, and Mary Anne O'Brien, née Kane.
The O'Brien family were still living at Boatman's Lane at the time of the 1901 census, but by the
1911 census
The United Kingdom Census 1911 of 2 April 1911 was the 12th nationwide census conducted in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The total population of the United Kingdom was approximately 45,221,000, with 36,070,000 recorded in England ...
they had moved to Pim Street, near
Usher's Quay, Dublin. He was educated at James Street school by the
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers ( la, Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, Edmund Rice.
Their first school was opened i ...
. As a 17-year-old, he fought in the 1916
Easter Rising with the Marrowbone Lane Garrison of the
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers ( ga, Óglaigh na hÉireann), sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Force or Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists and republicans. It was ostensibly formed in respon ...
. Briefly imprisoned by the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
at
Richmond Barracks
Richmond Barracks was a British Army barracks in Inchicore, Dublin, Ireland. It is now a cultural centre.
History
The barracks, which were named after Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, were completed in 1810 and first occupied by the Briti ...
, O'Brien was released on account of his age. He joined 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 ...
in 1917, eventually succeeding his brother Patrick as O.C. ("officer commanding") 'C' Company, 4th Battalion, Dublin Brigade. He commanded his company through the whole period up until the
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...
. During the
Irish Civil War, Denis and his brothers joined the
Anti-Treaty IRA
The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...
and fought in the Four Courts. After his capture during the
Battle of Dublin, Denis was interned at the
Curragh Camp
The Curragh Camp ( ga, Campa an Churraigh) is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel.
History
Longstanding ...
until 1924. He later served as an accountancy clerk with the Electricity Supply Board. He married
Annie Cooney at
St James' Catholic Church, Dublin on 12 April 1926.
Police career
In 1933,
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of govern ...
, the new
President of the Executive Council of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...
, issued a call for IRA veterans to join the Gardaí. O'Brien joined the Garda Síochána on 9 August 1933 (with registration number 8288), and subsequently entered the Detective Branch section headed by
Eamon Broy
Eamon Broy (also called ''Edward Broy''; 22 December 1887 – 22 January 1972) was successively a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the Irish Republican Army, the National Army, and the Garda Síochána of the Irish Free State. He serv ...
. Broy, a former
Detective Sergeant
Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...
in the
G Division
G (detective) Division was a plainclothes divisional office of the Dublin Metropolitan Police concerned with detective police work.Patrick Maume, ‘Mallon, John (1839–1915)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, ...
of the
Dublin Metropolitan Police
The Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) was the police force of Dublin, Ireland, from 1836 to 1925, when it was amalgamated into the new Garda Síochána.
History
19th century
The Dublin city police had been subject to major reforms in 1786 and ...
, had spied for
Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to:
* Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician
* Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...
during the
Irish War of Independence. Among
Irish republican legitimists, however, O'Brien and his colleagues were referred to as, "The Broy Harriers."
O'Brien was promoted to Detective Sergeant on 15 October 1937 and remained in the Gardaí when de Valera introduced a more Republican constitution in 1937 and abolished the
Oath of Allegiance to the British Monarchy.
World War II
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
O'Brien was a Detective Sergeant in the
Special Branch Division, which had its headquarters at
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin.
Until 1922 it was the s ...
. The Special Branch Division was then largely tasked with hunting down foreign spies and members of the IRA, who were interned and held without trial in the
Curragh Camp
The Curragh Camp ( ga, Campa an Churraigh) is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel.
History
Longstanding ...
. De Valera's government regarded the collaboration of the IRA with the intelligence services of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
as a serious threat to
Irish neutrality
Ireland has been neutral in international relations since the 1930s. The nature of Irish neutrality has varied over time, and has been contested since the 1970s. Historically, the state was a "non-belligerent" in the Second World War (see Irish ...
and its national security.
According to historian
Tim Pat Coogan, "An iron gloved approached to the IRA was the order of the day with vigorous raids and interrogations. As a result, relations between individual IRA men and the
Special Branch became understandably strained, and the IRA, in its shattered and disorganised condition, came to regard the
Special Branch as a greater enemy than the British Crown."
Assassination
At 9:45 am on 9 September 1942 at
Ballyboden
Ballyboden (''Baile Buadáin'' in Irish, meaning "Boden Town") is a locality within the suburb of Rathfarnham in South Dublin, at the foot of the Dublin Mountains between Whitechurch, Ballyroan and Knocklyon. It is a townland in the civil p ...
,
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Counci ...
,
County Dublin
"Action to match our speech"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg
, map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
, O'Brien left his house and began getting into his car. Three IRA men, wearing trenchcoats and armed with
Thompson sub machine gun
The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy Gun", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", “Trench Sweeper” or "Trench Broom") is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by United Sta ...
s, lay in wait for him as he drove out his drive and opened fire. The shots from the Thompson smashed the windows of his car but he was uninjured and he alighted and ran for cover to the gate but upon reaching it, he was shot by a single round to the head. The fatal shot was from a volley from a second Thompson gun and fired by another IRA man secreted across the Ballyboden Road adjacent to Kerr's Sawmill.
[National Archives of Ireland. Court of Criminal Appeal No. 94/1944. Trial Transcript Charles Kerins Murder Trial Special Criminal Court]
Two of the assassins wrapped the Thompsons in their trenchcoats, mounted their bicycles, and rode towards Dublin. Future
IRA Chief of Staff
Several people are reported to have served as Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army () in the organisations bearing that name. Due to the clandestine nature of these organisations, this list is not definitive.
Chiefs of Staff of the Irish ...
Charlie Kerins
Charlie Kerins ( ga, Cathal Ó Céirín; 23 January 1918 – 1 December 1944) was a physical force Irish Republican, and Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army. Kerins was one of six IRA men who were executed by the Irish State between Sep ...
left on foot, leaving his bicycle behind.
According to author
Tim Pat Coogan, "The shooting greatly increased public feeling against the IRA, particularly as the murder was carried out almost in full view of his wife. As she held her dying husband, she watched his assailants cycling past."
[
Detective Sergeant Denis O'Brien was posthumously awarded the ]Scott Medal
The Walter Scott Medal for Valor is a medal awarded for acts of bravery by the Garda Síochána.
It is not a state award, being in the gift of the Garda Commissioner.
History
The Garda medal was instituted at the behest of Colonel Walter Scott, ...
by the Commissioner of the Garda Siochana.
Aftermath
Two years later, Kerins was arrested in a pre-dawn raid and tried by court-martial for the murder of Detective Sergeant O'Brien. At a special military tribunal
Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bod ...
in Collins Barracks
Collins Barracks ( ga, Dún Uí Choileáin) is a former military barracks in the Arbour Hill area of Dublin, Ireland. The buildings now house the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History.
Previously housing both British Arm ...
, Dublin, Kerins was formally charged on 2 October 1944 for the "shooting at Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Counci ...
of Detective Dinny O'Brien". According to Coogan, "At the end of his trial, the president of the Military Court delayed sentence until later in the day to allow Kerins, if he wished, to make an application whereby he might have avoided the capital sentence. When the court resumed, Kerins said: "You could have adjourned it for six years as far as I am concerned, as my attitude towards this Court will always be the same." He thus deprived himself of the right to give evidence, to face cross examination
In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by one's opponent. It is preceded by direct examination (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, South Africa, India and Pakistan known as examination-in-chief) and m ...
, or to call witnesses.
After Kerins' fingerprints were identified on the bicycle which was left at the crime scene, he was found guilty, and sentenced to death by hanging
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...
. The sentence was carried out by British chief executioner
An executioner, also known as a hangman or headsman, is an official who executes a sentence of capital punishment on a legally condemned person.
Scope and job
The executioner was usually presented with a warrant authorising or order ...
Albert Pierrepoint
Albert Pierrepoint (; 30 March 1905 – 10 July 1992) was an English hangman who executed between 435 and 600 people in a 25-year career that ended in 1956. His father Henry and uncle Thomas were official hangmen before him.
Pierrepoin ...
, who was regularly employed for such occasions by the Irish State, 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
...
on 1 December 1944, in spite of numerous calls for clemency.
Archie Doyle
Archie Doyle (29 September 1903 - 1980) was one of three anti-Treaty members of the Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) (IRA) who on 10 July 1927 assassinated the Irish Justice Minister Kevin O'Higgins. He had had a long subsequent career in the ...
, who is also alleged to have been in command of the IRA hit squad during the killing of O'Brien, died in 1980.
See also
* List of Irish police officers killed in the line of duty
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
External links
Garda Siochana Roll of Honour
Detective Sergeant Denis O'Brien – From the Official Website for the Garda Siochana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Denis
Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members
Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members
Garda Síochána officers
1942 deaths
People of the Irish Civil War (Anti-Treaty side)
Garda Síochána officers killed in the line of duty
Deaths by firearm in Ireland
1899 births
1942 murders in the Republic of Ireland