The collection contains four files relating to Denis “Sonny” O’Neill of 35 Mitchell Street, Nenagh, County Tipperary. One of these files is very likely unique. It is Department of Defence file 2/21085. This file was first compiled by Intelligence Branch of the National Army on Denis O’Neill, a native of Maryboro, Timoleague, Co Cork, in the post Truce period. It includes copy captured IRA documents, Army intelligence reports, copy confidential agent reports, Garda Síochána reports and other material relating to Denis O’Neill up to 10 August 1925. The file, in common with all such files generated by Intelligence Branch (G2) of the National Army/Defence Forces in the post Truce period, was handed over to the Headquarters of the Garda Síochána in 1926.
Reports and correspondence on the file from 1926 relate to a claim by Denis O’Neill for a Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) pension, lost due to his activities during the War of Independence as a member of the IRA and submitted under Section 5 of the Superannuation and Pensions Act, 1923. As part of the administration and investigative process into that claim; which was administered under the Act by the Department of Finance, the G2 file on Denis O’Neill was recalled from Garda Headquarters by the military authorities at the behest of the Department of Defence.
For whatever reason, the file was not returned to the Garda Síochána. It was given a Department of Defence file number (2/21085) and became part of the Departmental filing system whereby it was not required or sought after 31 December 1929 when it was “Put away”. It thus apparently escaped examination and partial or full destruction under the Ministerial Order of 7 March 1932, whereby “intelligence reports” and other specified material relating to the 1922-1923 period in the custody of the Department and the Defence Forces were ordered to be destroyed by burning. The Garda Authorities were also subject to such an order at that time from the Government of the day.
File 2/21085 was handed over to the Project Manager, Military Service Pensions Project, along with a tranche of pension files from Finance Branch of the Department of Defence in 2011. Following up on the information in the file, three other files in the MSPC relating to Denis O’Neill were sourced. These relate to pension claims by O’Neill under the Military Service Pensions (MSP) Act), 1934 and a third is an administrative file dealing with his “Lost British Pensions” case under the Act, 1923. In all there are circa 350 pages and provide some very detailed information on Denis O’Neill, his service with the Crown, his involvement in the independence movement and his activities during the Civil War and later years. It also proved possible to source files in the collection relating to Denis O’Neill’s surviving brothers and their individual claims made under the MSP Act, 1934.
Service with Crown Forces
Denis O’Neill was born in 1888. He was one of five brothers who were all active in the War of Independence and Civil War, one Michael being killed on 26 April 1922.
Denis O’Neill joined the RIC on 25 October 1910 and served for three years as a member of the Rough-riding staff, Mounted Branch, RIC Depot, Phoenix Park, Dublin. His RIC service number is 65559. O’Neill enlisted in the South Irish Horse in 1915 as a Constable (Mounted). He served from November 1915 to May 1917 as Musketry Instructor and Troop Sergeant, South Irish Horse at Cahir Barracks, County Tipperary before transferring as dismounted elements to the 7 Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (RIR), being appointed a Section Commander with the rank of Corporal. His RIR service number is 25681. O’Neill served with the Regiment in France from September 1917 until his discharge as “unfit for further service” on 28 October 1918 at the rank of Sergeant. He was awarded a pension by the British Ministry of Pensions as a result of disability caused by a gun shot wound to his right forearm.
IRA service-War of Independence
Denis O’Neill joined the IRA in his home area in early December 1918; his Officer Commanding (O.C.) being Charlie Hurley. O’Neill immediately engaged in instructing the local units in drill and the use of arms. He also carried out intelligence work among the local RIC and military posts in the Brigade area and in early 1920 commenced work as a store man in Victoria Barracks (now Collins Barracks), Cork and at Bere Island up to September 1920 for the purpose of supplying intelligence gathered to 3rd Brigade Headquarters (HQ).
O’Neill enrolled as a student in the College of Science in Dublin in the academic year beginning in September/October 1920. In December he was introduced to Michael Collins by Liam Deasy and also separately by Tom Barry. He was “attached” to General Headquarters (GHQ) for intelligence duties and his reports were channelled primarily through Paddy Kennedy and Joe Dolan of Collins intelligence section. He had easy access to the RIC Depot, Dublin Castle and various British Army Clubs such as the South Irish Horse Club in Merrion Square. Frank Thornton, head of Collins Intelligence Section, having initially expressed some doubts as to O’Neill’s claims of involvement in intelligence duties in Dublin certified on 21 April 1937 that O’Neill was “…the man supplying us with information relative to Igoe’s Gang and he gave us a lot of very valuable information as to their movements including the movements of Igoe himself”. O’Neill also states that when he was returning home in June 1921 he was requested by Deasy and Barry to go into Victoria Barracks on intelligence work, which he continued to engage in until he returned to Dublin in October 1921.
Civil War service.
In June 1922 O’Neill was back in West Cork. He took the anti-Treaty side. On 1 July 1922 he was called up to HQ 1st Southern Division, then located at Mallow, and appointed Divisional Staff Officer with Captain Rank by Liam Deasy. He states that he was appointed Training Officer with Sean Hyde (Divisional Intelligence Officer and later one time Director of Intelligence) to organise and train Divisional Cavalry Columns at Ballincollig Barracks.
Two cavalry columns, each of 30 men and horses were formed; Sean Hyde taking one column to Buttevant in early August and O’Neill took the other some days later to Macroom and afterwards to Bandon where he “held a line with Cavalry”.
In his sworn statement made before the Advisory Committee on 16 May 1935, O’Neill continues “ …..and some time about the 14th or 15th of August I got a despatch to come on to meet HQ staff at Newcestown. There was a Brigade meeting held on the Sunday night. A Divisional meeting was to be held the following morning. I had the horses there. We accidentally ran into the Ballinablath (sic) thing, Tom Hales and myself. We heard about the party going through in the morning. They took a wrong turning and went into Newcestown. We went down to look at the position in Ballinblath (sic). We took up a position there, and held it till late in the evening”.
O’Neill would continue to serve in West Cork, being in charge of operations under Tom Barry until 27 December 1922, when he accompanied Barry and others to organise “less active” units in the 3rd Southern Division area in Tipperary. O’Neill claimed to have taken part in operations at Curreeny, Castleconnell, Moneygall and Foilduff; being appointed O.C. 3rd Southern Division in March 1923. He further stated that he “continued in that position to 31 October 1924, being attached [thereafter] to GHQ IRA from the 1 November 1924 to 6 December 1926”.
Life after hostilities.
Denis O’Neill married Mary A. Rohan, the owner of a boarding house at 35 Mitchell Street, Nenagh in the early 1920’s. Miss Rohan is described in an intelligence report as having “…advanced political views with a considerable amount of money, at whose house prominent Irregulars have from time to time been put up”.
O’Neill applied for his military service pension under the Act, 1934 on 24 August 1934. His claim was successful and he was awarded a pension in the rank of Captain for 5 and ¼ years service, on 27 July 1939. Denis O’Neill accepted the award and his RIC pension was adjusted accordingly under Section 20 (1) of the Act, 1934, leaving him with £135.13.6 per annum payable from 1 October 1934.
It is unclear whether O’Neill graduated from the College of Science. As to his “civilian” activities, the files in the MSPC show that Denis O’Neill was a Peace Commissioner in Nenagh and a letter in support of his military service pension claim from Patrick MacGrath, Solicitor, Nenagh testifies to O’Neill’s work as Director of Elections “both in the Sinn Féin period and later in the Fianna Fail Organisation” in County Tipperary. Denis O’Neill died of coronary thrombosis/cardiac failure at Barrack Street, Nenagh on 5 June 1950. He was survived by his widow Mary, brothers Jeremiah (66) and Daniel (60) and his sisters Mary Walsh and Margaret O’Meara.
The files relating to Denis O’Neill’s application are:
The O’Neill brothers
Michael O’Neill
Michael O’Neill-no rank shown- is listed as a member of “B” (Kilbrittain) Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Cork Brigade. He was shot and killed during a raid on Ballygroman House on 26 April 1922. In the house at the time were the landowner Thomas Hornibrook, his son Samuel and son-in-law retired British Army Captain Herbert Woods, MC. To date no application in respect of the death of Michael O’Neill has been sourced.
John O’Neill
One time Captain, Kilbrittain Company and later in command of the Active Service Unit, 3rd Cork Brigade. He claimed to be Assistant Quartermaster, 3rd Cork Brigade and one time O.C. 1st Battalion. He was awarded a Military Service Pension in the rank of Captain for a period of active service of 7 and 23/24 years. A letter in support of his appeal for a higher rank from Liam Deasy for “special service…because of his exceptionally virile pre-Truce service [he] was selected to lead a party delegated with a special mission in June 1922, notwithstanding the fact that there were senior officers available, it being considered that for this special mission O’Neill was pre-eminently suited” is included on file. His health deteriorated and was found after examination by the Army Pensions Board to be as a result of his active service. He was awarded a disability pension (in addition to his military service pension), under the Army Pensions Act, 1932 of £150 per annum from 1 April 1932. John O’Neill (aged 49), a merchant/shop keeper, died on 22 May 1947.
Daniel O’Neill
A member of RIC O’Neill resigned due to the “conscription” issue and joined “B” (Kilbrittain) Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Cork Brigade on 5 May 1918. Daniel O’Neill claimed to have been appointed Battalion Intelligence Officer by Tom Hales. He was arrested on 4 February 1921 while conveying Lieutenant Patrick Crowley to hospital in Cork; Crowley was shot dead by arresting forces and O’Neill was imprisoned on Spike Island, in the Cork Male prison and at Maryboro Prison until released in late December 1921. Shortly thereafter he was appointed O.C. Republican police 1st Battalion, to “superintend” Clonakilty, Bandon and outlying areas; although he states that he was “not the chief superintendent”.
O’Neill claimed to be second in command of a Brigade Column in action in Limerick and Cork with actions against Free State [National] Forces at Skibbereen, Bandon, Courtmacsherry, Ballinhassig, for example. He also stated that “The day Ml Collins was shot I was the first to give direct information to De Valera. I sent the first information to him officially.”
Daniel O’Neill’s claim for a military service pension under the Act, 1934 was not successful. He petitioned for a rehearing of his claim under the Act, 1949 and was awarded a service pension on 2 December 1952 for a total of 5 years service in the rank of Private/Non Commissioned Officer. He apparently opted not to accept the military service pension awarded (see Section 20 Military Service Pensions Act, 1934) and retained his RIC pension awarded him earlier under Section 5 of the Superannuation and Pensions Act, 1923-“the more favourable course for him financially”.
Jeremiah O’Neill
A member of the Ballinadee Company, Irish Volunteers from 1914, he transferred to “B” (Kilbrittain) Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Cork Brigade on its formation. Among other activities he took part in an attack on Timoleague Barracks in February 1920, acted as a Quartermaster for the local Company, took part in the attack on Free State [National Forces] soldiers landing at Courtmacsherry and “sniped them all the way to Bandon”. He also states that he sold “confiscated cattle on the orders of the Brigade Quartermaster”. He was awarded a military service pension for service in the rank of Private/NCO for 3 and 7/36 years. Jeremiah O’Neill, a farmer, died on 2 October 1961.
Military Service Pensions Collection 