Campaign Groups and Pairs 276


The interesting and unusual 1915 Mercantile Marine, 1916 Easter Rising Dublin G.P.O. Defender, Frongoch Internee, Irish War of Independence and Civil War Fighter group of six awarded to Section Leader P. J. Byrne, Irish Volunteers/Irish Republican Army, later Irish National Army


British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (Patrick J. Byrne); Ireland, Free State, 1916 Medal, bronze, unnamed as issued to living survivors in 1941, with integral top riband bar; General Service Medal 1917-21, combatant’s version with Comrac bar, bronze, unnamed as issued to living survivors in 1941, with integral top riband bar; Emergency Service Medal 1939-46, with Na Forsai Cosanta reverse, bronze, unnamed as issued, with integral top riband bar; Ireland, Republic, Commemorative Medal for the 50th Anniversary of the Easter Rising 1916-66, bronze, unnamed as issued to living survivors in 1966, with integral top riband bar, nearly extremely fine or better (6)


£3,000-£4,000


Patrick ‘Paddy’ Joseph Byrne was born in Dublin on 10 October 1894, the eldest of twelve surviving children of Peter and Catherine Byrne. He worked as a silversmith, an electrician and a crewman in merchant ships. From 1 January – 30 June 1915, Byrne sailed on the Ben Kingston to Alexandria in Egypt, thus qualifying for his British medals. Soon after his return, he was present as a member of ‘C’ Company, 1st Dublin Battalion, Irish Volunteers, at a ceremonial lying-in-state at Dublin City Hall. His granddaughter told the Irish Times in 2016, ‘I had in my possession a photograph of my grandfather Patrick Joseph Byrne standing in uniform at the lying-in-state of O’Donovan Rossa, in 1915… He fought in the G.P.O. and bore the stretcher that carried James Connolly.’


Rossa was a veteran Fenian extremist who had died in the United States. The Irish Republican Brotherhood, which was attempting to seize control of the Irish Volunteers, repatriated his body in order to stage a great republican show at a lying-in-state at City Hall, Dublin, and a funeral at Glasnevin on 1 August 1915, events which attracted huge crowds and enormous publicity from the national and international press. The members of ‘C’ Company, 1st Dublin Battalion, Irish Volunteers provided part of the Guard of Honour.


It seems that Byrne joined the Irish Volunteers early on, in 1913 or 1914. Catherine (Kate), his younger sister, joined Cumann na mBan ‘early in 1915’ (Mrs Catherine Rooney’s (née Byrne) Witness Statement 648, hereafter referred to as ‘Kate Byrne’s Witness Statement 648’, refers). His younger brother Peter Sylvester joined Fianna Eireann in 1913 and participated in the landing of smuggled rifles at Howth in 1914..


The Easter Rising – carrying James Connolly on a stretcher to Dublin Castle


During the Easter Rising, Byrne is recorded as having fought as an Irish Volunteer in the Cabra Bridge, General Post Office, O’Connell Street, Annesley Bridge, Fairview and Moore Street areas. This impressive list covers many of the places in north central Dublin where fighting took place. Byrne’s service as a defender at Republican Headquarters at the General Post Office (G.P.O.) is confirmed by his signature on the Jubilee Roll of Honour in 1966 and the acceptance by other members of the G.P.O. garrison that he had been present. The witness statement of Sean Prendergast (Witness Statement 755 refers) lists Byrne, Patrick J. and Flood, Sean as among 70 men from ‘C’ Company, 1st Dublin Battalion who served during Easter Week 1916 in the Four Courts Area, which would add a seventh area of service to the ‘canonical six’ listed above.


‘C’ Company trained at 41 Parnell Square. On Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, hundreds of men received their order to assemble too late; based on Kate Byrne’s Witness Statement, Byrne’s order arrived early enough for him to reach ‘C’ Company’s mobilisation point. He would have marched out with his Company and occupied the Four Courts (unless he was assigned to detached duty by an officer who was concerned that other units or places needed reinforcements at once).


Kate Byrne’s Witness Statement 648 states: ‘My eldest brother, Paddy, who had his volunteer equipment and gun in a back room of the house, had taken them away and left for the fight with his company – C. Coy… [Sean Flood, like Patrick a member of ‘C’ Company] kept his equipment in our house and he had come to dress there, helped by my mother, and was wearing his uniform when I met him. My mother told me to get my [Cumann na mBan] equipment and to follow them… I turned into O’Connell St… glancing back on hearing the sound of marching men, I saw a company of Volunteers led by Captain Michael Staines… when they came down to Nelson Pillar Staines gave the order: “Right turn” so I did the “Right turn” too. It was then 12 o’clock exactly… I went over to speak to Michael Staines. [Staines’s first task at the G.P.O. was supervising the unloading of ammunition from a motor car and horse-drawn taxi (Staines’ Witness Statement 284 refers).] I asked him to let me in but he said No, I was to go home. He added: “I’ll tell Paddy on you” (that was my brother).’


Kate entered the interior of the G.P.O. through a side window. Patrick and Kate’s younger brothers Peter Sylvester and John also entered the G.P.O. as part of the Fianna Eireann contingent. Early on Tuesday, Kate was sent across the city centre to take a message to the Four Courts. Kate does not mention seeing Patrick or either of her other brothers inside the G.P.O. or the Four Courts. ‘I went to the side gate of the Four Courts where, lucky enough, Sean Flood, a neighbour of ours, was on duty – I have mentioned him already as being in our house earlier on Monday. Before I had time to say anything, he asked me where Paddy, my brother was?’


If Byrne was initially at the Four Courts, why was it omitted from his record of service? The possible reason is that there was no fighting at Four Courts while he was there on Monday, he was soon sent away on a mission to another area and consequently was reluctant to state that he had actually fought at Four Courts.


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