A commemoration of Seán Hogan will take place tomorrow afternoon in Cahir.
Seán Hogan was one of the leaders of the 3rd Tipperary Brigade of the IRA during the War of Independence, and as a teenager, he was involved in the Soloheadbeg Ambush.
Tomorrow will celebrate the first march under arms of his Flying Column in January 1921 and how they evaded capture and escaped the British Army.
The commemoration event “March with the Column” will begin in Killinure at 3pm with speaker Dr. Ruan O’Donnell, as well as featuring music from The Rebel Hearts.
Author and historian Tom Hennessy takes a look at why Seán Hogan was so influential.
“The First Column of the IRA was formed before Christmas in 1920, and that was Dinny Lacey that led it. That was the West Tipp area, and you had a vast area then along by the Knockmealdowns stretching up to the Kilkenny/Waterford border. The British Army were really causing havoc to the defenseless population, so the IRA said, “We need to open up another front here.” Seán Hogan was nominated as the man to lead the column.
“It’s amazing today the Ballylooby area; there’s so much history there, and what we are commemorating is where it all began: a farmhouse just outside Ballylooby, Helen Prendergast’s farmstead.”
