Centenary of the killing of Dick McKee, Peadar Clancy and Conor Clune marked with new display at Kilmainham Gaol Museum

This Saturday marks the centenary of Bloody Sunday, 21 November, 1920. Early on that morning, IRA members shot and killed 12 men believed to be British Army intelligence officers and two auxiliary policemen in locations throughout Dublin. British forces retaliated later that day by firing into a crowd attending a Gaelic football match in Croke Park, killing 14 civilians. A new display will be unveiled in Kilmainham Gaol Museum this Saturday focusing on the final act of that bloody day: the killing of Dick McKee, Peadar Clancy and Conor Clune in Dublin Castle whilst in British custody. The new display in Kilmainham Gaol Museum features artefacts associated with the three men, including several directly connected with the story of their deaths.

Dick McKee was the Commandant of the Dublin Brigade of the IRA, while Peadar Clancy was Vice-Commandant. Both men were arrested in a safe-house on Gloucester St. in the north inner city the night before Bloody Sunday. A third man, Conor Clune, was mistakenly identified as a member of the IRA during a raid on Vaughan’s Hotel on Parnell Square by British Auxiliaries earlier that evening. It is now widely accepted that the three men were killed as an act of retribution, although the official explanation was that the three men were killed while attempting to escape.

Among the items on display are a pen taken from Dick McKee’s pocket by his sister when she came to identify his body, and a lock of hair cut from Peadar Clancy’s corpse by Dan Breen. Among the most poignant objects is a gold ring made for May Gibney, a member of Cumann na mBan, in memory of her fiancé, Dick McKee. The inside of the ring was inscribed with the words ‘Dick, Peadar 21 November 1920’.

The display also contains a sympathy note written for McKee and Clancy by Michael Collins at their funeral in the Pro-Cathedral. Collins was the most wanted man in the British Empire in the wake of Bloody Sunday, but he was still determined to attend the funerals of his two close friends. Despite a number of detectives mingling with the mourners, Collins emerged from the crowd and, using one of the coffins as a rest, wrote the sympathy note there and then. The note’s delicate condition means that it is rarely exhibited.

Unfortunately, Kilmainham Gaol is closed to the public at present due to the Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions. However the Museum is delighted to be partnering with RTÉ who will feature the objects on their War of Independence website rte.ie/history/history-galleries/

Speaking about the display the Collections Curator, Brian Crowley, said

“Some of these items, such as the pen taken from Dick McKee’s body, the lock of Clancy’s hair and a copy of Pearse’s Irish-language writings owned by Conor Clune, are being displayed in Kilmainham Gaol for the first time to mark this very important centenary. They are fascinating objects, and show the human stories behind this historic event. Although we are closed to the public at the moment, we will be sharing the stories of these artefacts online and through social media.”

ENDS

Notes for editors

While the museum is closed to the public, restricted access can be arranged for journalists. For further information and high res images, please contact Brian Crowley, Kilmainham Gaol Museum at 086 8079071 or at brian.crowley@opw.ie

Kilmainham Gaol is located at Inchicore Road, Dublin 8. It is currently closed due to the Level 5 restrictions, but would normally be open from 9.30am to 5.30pm (last admission 5pm), seven days a week.