Thomas Ashe was born at Kinard, Co. Kerry in 1885. He trained as a teacher and became master at Corduff national school near Lusk in co. Dublin. He was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and joined the Irish volunteers in 1913. In 1914 Ashe travelled to America to raise funds for the Gaelic League and the IRB. Ashe became commandant of the 5th (Fingal) battalion of the Irish Volunteers.
Under his leadership this battalion of fifty Volunteers surrounded the RIC barracks at Ashbourne. When the barracks was about to surrender a force of sixty RIC reinforcements arrived from Slane. Giving battle to the new arrivals the Irish Volunteers succeeded in achieving a victory, forcing the two groups to surrender. This was the most successful action of the rising for the Irish rebels. The battle at Ashbourne was not viewed favourably at the time being condemned by the Meath Chronicle, various public bodies and church authorities. Ashe was tried and sentenced to death for the action. The sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life. He was released in the general amnesty of June 1917. He campaigned for de Valera in the East Clare by-election.
After a speech in Longford Ashe was re-arrested in August and sentenced to two years. In Mountjoy he and other prisoners began a hunger strike on 20 September for political prisoner status. A few days later the prison medical officer attempted to forcibly feed Ashe. Immediately after this Ashe collapsed and was taken to the Mater Hospital where he died. An estimated 30,000 people lined the street for Ashe’s funeral with Michael Collins giving the oration at Glasnevin cemetery.
The attack at Ashbourne was commemorated with a memorial. President of Ireland, Sean T. O’Kelly unveiled the memorial at Rath Cross Roads, on Easter Sunday, April 26, 1959. This monument carries a plaque inscribed with a line from a poem by Thomas Ashe, the local schoolmaster at that time: ‘Let me carry your cross for Ireland, Lord’. The monument has a dual image – on one side the figure is in the form of Christ, on the other a rebel.
Thomas Ashe was born at Kinard, Co. Kerry in 1885. He trained as a teacher and became master at Corduff national school near Lusk in co. Dublin. He was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and joined the Irish volunteers in 1913. In 1914 Ashe travelled to America to raise funds for the Gaelic League and the IRB. Ashe became commandant of the 5th (Fingal) battalion of the Irish Volunteers.
Under his leadership this battalion of fifty Volunteers surrounded the RIC barracks at Ashbourne. When the barracks was about to surrender a force of sixty RIC reinforcements arrived from Slane. Giving battle to the new arrivals the Irish Volunteers succeeded in achieving a victory, forcing the two groups to surrender. This was the most successful action of the rising for the Irish rebels. The battle at Ashbourne was not viewed favourably at the time being condemned by the Meath Chronicle, various public bodies and church authorities. Ashe was tried and sentenced to death for the action. The sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life. He was released in the general amnesty of June 1917.
Released in 1917 Ashe became the president of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. He campaigned for de Valera in the East Clare by-election. Ashe was re-arrested for sedition for speaking at Ballinalee, Co. Longford, where he shared the platform with his good friend, Michael Collins. Collins visited Ashe at the Curragh detention centre and attended his trial which Collins treated as a big joke. Imprisoned in Mountjoy Gaol Ashe demanded prisoner of war status and when it was denied he went on hunger strike. Ashe said “Even though I do die, I die for a good cause.” As a result of a botched forced feeding session Ashe died a ghastly death on 25 September 1917. An estimated 30,000 people lined the street for Ashe’s funeral with his funeral being a major show of strength and a major public relations coup for the nationalist movement and was the first significant public appearance for Michael Collins who delivered a graveside valediction. “Nothing additional remains to be said. The volley which we have just heard is the only speech which is proper to make above the grave of a dead Fenian.” he declared. Later Collins wept openly and his memorial card bore the inscription “In veneration of a gallant patriot and a noble friend.” Ashe died in his thirty-third year, five years later Collins was killed aged thirty two. The tactics of guerrilla warfare used at Ashbourne were adopted and used successfully by Collins and those who fought in the War of Independence.
The attack at Ashbourne was commemorated with a memorial. President of Ireland, Sean T. O’Kelly unveiled the memorial at Rath Cross Roads, on Easter Sunday, April 26, 1959. This monument carries a plaque inscribed with a line from a poem by Thomas Ashe: ‘Let me carry your cross for Ireland, Lord’. The monument has a dual image – on one side the figure is in the form of Christ, on the other a rebel.
Thomas Ashe Banner, Carnaross, Mullaghea, Loughan and Moynalty.
Paddy Woods, Carnaross, writes: “Loughan and Mullaghea Banner -The Loughan and Mullaghea banner was carried by the volunteers to the Kieran Well Festival on the first Sunday in August 1917. The Loughan fife and drum band and the bandmaster John Farnan from Tierworker followed the banner. Ten thousand people attended the ceremonies on that day and afterwards, Countess Markievicz addressed the huge gathering. On the way back to Loughan Hall where the banner and musical instruments were stored the bandmaster was arrested by the R.I.C. at Nugent’s Bridge. The banner was made by James Nevin, a tailor who lived in Loughan. He was by all accounts a reputable and skilful tailor. The main feature of the banner is a very good image of Thomas Ashe, references to the four provinces and a united Ireland and free Ireland. Given that it is a hundred years old, it is very striking and colourful. The banner disappeared for a number of years, until the late Brian Keelan retrieved it. It needed repairs and loving attention from skilled seamstresses and no better place to go with it than to the nuns in the Convent of Mercy, Kells. It came out almost restored to its pristine condition, and then Brian Keelan returned it to its rightful owners, the Nevin family of Loughan. For a long time Jim Nevin looked after this wonderful reminder of the Rising. But Jim realised that this was unique and historical banner needed a permanent home and he found it in Moyalty Museum. We, in a Carnaross, Loughan and Mullaghea are happy that the best place for the banner is in a Museum, and we wish to thank our neighbours in Moynalty for receiving it into their Museum. Thanks to Jim Nevin for guarding it down the years and thanks to the late Brian Keelan for his foresight in asking the nuns in Eureka to restore it.
The historic 1917 banner was presented to the Moynalty Steam Threshing Museum by the Nevin family on 10th March 2016.