Sean C. Finn (born Michael John Finn; 1889,

Rathkeale Rathkeale () is a town in west County Limerick, in Ireland. It is 30 km (18 mi) southwest of Limerick city on the N21 road to Tralee, County Kerry, and lies on the River Deel. Rathkeale has a significant Irish Traveller population, and ...

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision ...

- 30 March 1921, near

Foynes Foynes (; ) is a town and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 520 as of the 2016 census. Foynes's role as seap ...

) was a commander of multiple units in the

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

in the early 20th century. He led many attacks on the

Black and Tans Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

and the heavily armed RIC patrols, with his brigade usually armed only with shotguns. Training first with the scouting organisation

Fianna Éireann Na Fianna Éireann (The Fianna of Ireland), known as the Fianna, is an Irish nationalist youth organisation founded by Constance Markievicz in 1909, with later help from Bulmer Hobson. Fianna members were involved in setting up the Irish Volun ...

and then being appointed a captain in 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 respons ...

in 1914 when

Ernest Blythe Ernest Blythe (; 13 April 1889 – 23 February 1975) was an Irish journalist, managing director of the Abbey Theatre, and politician who served as Minister for Finance from 1923 to 1932, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and Vice-President of t ...

went to Limerick to organise there, Finn organised his west Limerick area, making contacts ranging from impoverished farmers in single-room cottages to the nationalist Anglo-Irish activist

Mary Spring Rice Mary Ellen Spring Rice (14 September 1880 – 1 December 1924) was an Irish nationalist activist during the early 20th century.flying column A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ''ad hoc'' unit, formed during the course of operations. The term is usually, though not necessarily, appli ...

s to cross the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...

. He and his flying columns made west Limerick untenable for the British. By spring 1917 he had 80 men in his brigade, and he continued to form companies in surrounding areas. In 1918 the area's Volunteers were organised into a battalion of the new

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 tha ...

, and Finn was soon appointed Brigade O/C. He brought the strength of the brigade up to 2,000 men. Volunteers from the brigade guarded ballot boxes to prevent interference by the RIC; they sheltered

Dan Breen Daniel Breen (11 August 1894 – 27 December 1969) was a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. In later years he was a Fianna Fáil politician. Background Breen was born in Grang ...

Seán Treacy Seán Allis Treacy ( ga, Seán Ó Treasaigh; 14 February 1895 – 14 October 1920) was one of the leaders of the Third Tipperary Brigade of the IRA during the Irish War of Independence. He was one of a small group whose actions initiated tha ...

, Séumas Robinson and

Seán Hogan Seán Hogan (13 May 1901 – 24 December 1968) was one of the leaders of the 3rd Tipperary Brigade of the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence. Early life Hogan was born on 13 May 1901, the elder child of Matthew Hogan of Green ...

after the

Soloheadbeg Ambush The Soloheadbeg ambush took place on 21 January 1919, when members of the Irish Volunteers (or Irish Republican Army, IRA) ambushed Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) officers who were escorting a consignment of gelignite explosives at Soloheadbeg, ...

. They attacked RIC plainclothesmen guarding men buying cattle from boycotted farms. On 7 July 13, 1920, a mixed RIC and Black and Tan patrol was attacked by the IRA under the command of Finn, and RIC Constable Patrick Fahey was killed. Finn smuggled the British General Cuthbert Lucas, O/C of the British forces in the huge garrison of Fermoy, County Cork to the Shannon River while the British were searching Lucas. (After he handed Lucas over to the East Limerick IRA, the general either escaped or was released to

Pallaskenry Pallaskenry () is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. Pallaskenry derives its name from Kenry Castle (the palisaded castle at Kenry), nowadays known as Shanpallas Castle. opographical Dictionary of Ireland, p455, Lewis It was one of the prin ...

Barracks on 30 July 1920.) On 30 March 1921, Finn was killed in action during a three-hour engagement the Ballyhahill/Athea area near Foynes in Co Limerick when his flying column was attacked late at night by three lorry-loads of Black and Tans. Donnchadh Ó hAnnagáin, O/C of the West Limerick Flying Column, wrote an account of the battle. In this battle Tom Howard (who was later killed at an ambush at Lakelly) shot dead a Black and Tan who was about to shoot the dying Finn. The attack was witnessed by James Collins, later a TD.

References

External links

Near Death Experience
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finn, Sean C. 1889 births Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members Year of death missing People from Rathkeale