Kevin Barry Story...

Kevin Barry was born on the 20th of January 1902, at No. 8 Fleet Street in Dublin. The fourth of seven children born to the Barry family who ran a dairy business. When he was six years of age Kevins father died and he and most of his family then moved to Tombeagh, Hacketstown, Co. Carlow. When Kevin was 15 he returned to Dublin and attended O'Connells School on the North Circular Road and then St. Mary's Rathmines and later moving to Belvedere College. At Belvedere he showed a flare for both Hurling & Rugby. Off the pitch Kevin was descibed as a bright student and went on to study medicine in UCD. But his third level studies were quickly overtaken by broader political events.

Active
When he was just 15 he joined Auxiliary C Company of the First Battalion, Dublin Brigade of the Irish Volunteers. During the War of Independence Barry became an active member. On June 1st 1920 he was involved in a raid for arms on the Kings Inns. Even during the summer he spent in Carlow, he was attached to the Third Battalion of the Carlow Brigade, taking part in the burning of Hacketstown RIC Barracks.

Barry returned to Dublin in September to resit his First year Medical exams. On the 20th of September he was due to sit his final exam, he never sat it. That morning he was involved in an ambush at 11 o'clock at the junction of Church Street and North King Street on the Northside of Dublin

The Raid
The aim of the raid was to capture weapons of the military escort for a bread a van supplying provisions for Collinstown(Dublin Airport) The van was collecting bread from Monk's Bakery on Church Street. Barry thought the raid would be concluded with more than enough time to make his afternnon exam.

During the raid, Kevins gun jammed(he had left his own in Carlow and was issued with another that morning by the Quartermaster). While trying to free the mechanism, his comrades fled the scene. Barry was left behind and sought cover under a military lorry. Unfortunately he was discovered, captured, and placed in the back of the military lorry along with the three dead or mortally wounded soldiers.

The Trial
On the 20th of October, Barry was brought under strong military escort from Mountjoy Prison to his court martial in Marlborough Barracks. Barry was charged under the Restoration of Order Act with feloniously wounding and Killing Private Matthew Whitehead. He was the first to be tried for a capital crime under the new regulations. Kevin Barry told the court that as a soldier of the Irish Republic he regarded all of his actions as acts of war. As a republican he refused to recognise the court and did not put forward a defence.

During the trial witness after witness was called to give their version of the morning's events. Each time Barry was asked if he wanted to question the witness. Each time he replied "No", except for once when he snapped at the President of the Court, "Don't bother asking me that question any more, I am not interested in teh proceedings." He also showed cheeky disdain and contempt by reading a newspaper during the trial.

On the 27th of October, Kevin Barry was informed that he would be executed the following Monday, 1st of November, unless a reprieve was granted. The day after recieving notice of his death sentence Barry made a statement in Mountjoy about his treatment during questioning. This Treatment quickly became known as "the torture of Kevin Barry". It became a central part of the Kevin Barry Story.

Although brutal, the treatment was mild compared to that meted out to other members of the IRA who had been captured. One reason for this was that Barry was captured by normal British military - he would have fared considerably worse had he been captured by the Black & Tans or the Auxiliaries. However, the account of his treatment, together with the countdown to his impending execution, heightened emotions.

On the 1st of November Kevin Gerard Barry was hanged in Mountjoy Prison, he was buried in the grounds of the Prison.