Historian looks at Nenagh's years of crises

The rise of Republicanism, impact of the Spanish Flu, and hardship faced by the local poor in the winter of 1916/17, are among the topics dealt with in an intriguing addition to Nenagh's history.

'Nenagh, 1914-1921: Years of Crises' is a compelling read from the research of Laois historian Gerard Dooley. 
The book looks at life in Nenagh during the tumultuous period of 1914 to 1921, examining the sudden rise of the National Volunteers in Nenagh and their equally sudden collapse. It explores the evolution of the organisation that arose from the ashes of the Volunteers to become the IRA, including issues of dissension, disunity and deception among the IRA as a counterpoint to the more usual accounts of flying columns and ambushes.
“The transformation of the RIC from a demoralized force, disenchanted and badly paid, to a dangerous hybrid of gendarmerie, civil police and demobilized Great War Veterans is also discussed.”
But behind the armed struggles, the book delves into the social history of this bleak period. In particular, the author looks at the families left at home when more than 1,200 Nenagh men went off to fight in the Great War. It tells the story of those who bore the brunt of RIC reprisals, those who nearly perished due to crop failure, those afflicted by the Spanish Flu, and the often overlooked social problems faced by the ordinary poor. 
“From the outbreak of the First World War in July 1914 until the Truce which ended the Irish War of Independence 362 weeks later, Nenagh experienced crisis upon crisis,” Gerard explains of the title of his work.
The central thrust of the book is the evolution of the IRA in Nenagh, a story vividly told by the author. Gerard wanted to reverse what he refers to as a “historiographical bias” favouring South Tipperary when discussing the rise of IRA. With a specific emphasis on Nenagh, he concentrates on the north of the county and men like Seán Gaynor, Frank McGrath, Bill Hoolan and Ned O'Leary, republicans who, though perhaps less celebrated than their South Tipp counterparts, achieved “equal to and greater than that of many other 'republican icons'”.
Gerard (27), who works at the Applied Language Centre at University College Dublin, has a Masters Degree in Modern Irish History. His previous work includes research on Ned Quinlan and the War of Independence in Roscrea, published in the 'Roscrea People'.
A native of Camross, just outside Roscrea, he has no connection to Nenagh other than his fixation on its rich republican history, and stories of how his forebears sheltered IRA men from the town.
“The house I was born and reared in became the headquarters of the 3rd Southern Division,” Gerard said. “Men like Seán Gaynor and Pat Starr would have stayed there.”
He drew on a wide range of sources to tell this history,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         thoroughly mining the archives of the 'Nenagh Guardian' and 'Nenagh News & Tipperary Vindicator'. He had the help of several historians, including George Cunningham of Roscrea, John Flannery of the Ormond Historical Society, and Eamonn Gaynor, Seán Gaynor's son. Other sources include witness statements made to the Bureau of Military History, handwritten transcripts of interviews between Ernie O'Malley and local IRA Volunteers, IRA roll books, and census records.
Gerard had a letter published in the 'Guardian' appealing for information about this subject matter and was delighted to have a gained a response from Puckane man Seán Hogan, who gave him research and taped interviews with members of the Nenagh IRA. “It was fascinating to listen to those tapes,” Gerard said of working with Seán, who went on to publish 'The Black and Tans in North Tipperary: Policing, Revolution and War 1913-1922'.
Gerard also drew on Met Éireann records to tell the very interesting story of the bleak winter of 1916-17, describing the unique scenes as ground temperatures in Nenagh plummeted as low as -17°C during a 37-day period when there were only two days when the daily minimum temperature exceeded freezing. A combination of heavy rainfall and a prolonged period of freezing weather led to widespread crop failure and misery for the poor of Nenagh.
“Everyone knows about the 'Black Winter' of '47 but this was much colder,” Gerard said of the time.
But his research concludes that, “despite these setbacks, the people of Nenagh stoically pulled through these years of crises”.
A recent guest lecturer of the Ormond Historical Society in Nenagh, Gerard's next book – 'Camross, Her Story, Her People' – focuses on his home parish and will be launched in December. 'Nenagh, 1914-1921: Years of Crises' is now available in local bookshops and online (www.fourcourtspress.ie). Gerard will be signing copies of the book at Steeples bookshop in Nenagh on Saturday October 24th.