Thomas Clarke Luby, a rebel, was involved in the raid on Dunshaughlin constabulary barracks and Navan town in 1848. Born in 1822 Luby was the son of a Church of Ireland minister. He graduated from Trinity College and was called to the Bar in 1848 but never actually practised law. Luby supported O’Connell and his repeal movement before becoming involved in the Young Ireland movement. During the 1848 rebellion Luby was involved in the unsuccessful raids on the Dunshaughlin constabulary barracks and on the town of Navan. Luby was also active in Dublin and Munster in the rising. In 1849 he was arrested and briefly imprisoned. In January 1857 Luby attended the funeral of Philip Gray in County Meath at which Luby gave the oration.
In 1858 Luby was one of the founders of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Luby was convinced that Ireland’s freedom could only be won by force. Luby was a very active member of the IRB, recruiting in Dublin, travelling to America and fundraising. About 1858 Luby travelled to Drumconrath via Navan to meet a contact. The contact had to go and do some business and told Luby to meet him later. Luby went for a walk out of the village and met a man who warned him that he was betrayed and the Drumconrath contact had informed the police. At first Luby did not believe him but left Drumconrath and travelled back to Dublin from Gormanstown. There he found out that the police had issued a special bulletin ordering his arrest. In 1862 Luby swore in six members in the yard of Keappock’s Hotel, Drogheda.
Luby contributed many articles to the Fenian newspaper, “The Irish People”. The paper was suppressed in 1865 and Luby and others were tried for treason felony. Luby was sentenced to twenty years penal servitude. Having served six years he was released in an amnesty in 1871. Luby settled in New York and never returned to Ireland. He continued to fundraise and organise for the Irish Republican Brotherhood. He did not actively support land agitation or Home Rule. Luby died in Jersey City in 1901.