HANNAH O'MEARA / OTHER CONFLICTS

HANNAH O'MEARA

In 1921, James Brendan Connolly, an Olympian and Author arrived in Ireland. He had volunteered as a Commissioner of the American Committee for Relief in Ireland, with a brief to appraise and to take note of the escalating situation in the war-torn land. Connolly was to make sure that none of the aid raised in the U.S. was used to purchase arms for the I.R.A.

Connolly was himself the son of an Aran Island family who had settled in Boston. He had already made a name for himself as an Athlete specialising in the Long, Triple and High Jumps in Athens and Paris. He recorded his Irish adventures in Seaborne, one of his many books. It provides a fascinating picture of Ireland during the War of Independence, seen from an outsiders eyes as he travelled around the country.

Hannah Purcell's marriage registration

James Brendan Connollys manuscript

In Nenagh he met with a ‘striking’ women. In his words….

“She was a grand picture of a woman - black hair, flashing black eyes, six feet tall - Juno herself. “

This ‘Juno’ was Hannah O’Meara nee Purcell, a hotel proprietor. She was from Ballycahill, outside of Thurles and in 1903 had married a Hotel Proprietor James O’Meara. They had moved to Nenagh.

On 28/05/1910 we find her convicted in the Petty Sessions convicted of having insufficient lighting on a vehicle. Connolly describes her as a widow but James O’Meara died in 1924. Perhaps Connolly was adding a bit of romance to the pen-picture.

Connolly and Hannah discussed the ruins of recent fire-damaged buildings that were to be seen in Castle St. These were the result of atrocities committed by a vengeful occupying force, after the death of four R.I.C. men at Kilcommon.

“How is all going to end Mrs O’Meara?”

“They’ll clear out, or they’ll wipe us out” she replied.

Principle areas of conflict for 30/06/1922

Indeed they did eventually clear out, but Nenagh hadn’t yet finished with its fighting and bloodshed.

A year later, the Brits were gone but there was still strife and conflict on the streets of Nenagh.

In Dublin the Four Courts were ablaze but Nenagh was having it’s own particular war. In Nenagh, there was a unique solution been acted out. There had been an uneasy ceasefire in Nenagh with Government and Republican forces taking turns on separate nights to patrol the streets of Nenagh. On Friday 30/06/1922, a fire fight took place between opposing sides on the streets of Nenagh.

Republican forces were in control of the National Bank and upstairs at Miss Melodys, both at the Market Cross. Government troops were located around the Hibernian, The Lecture Hall and North Tipperary Club in Upper Castle Street. Fire was exchanged between both parties.

Hannah watched the proceedings from the porch of O’Meara’s Hotel. The Porch was made of glass and offered no protection whatsoever. She was shot in the stomach either by ricochet or by design. One account records that she was concerned for one of her delivery men who was out when the firing commenced and hadn't yet returned.

I would surmise that anybody putting their head out in the middle a gunfight was inevitably going to be seen as a possible enemy. There would be no time for distinguishing belligerents from civilians. Hannah was one of two fatalities during this localised conflict. The other fatality was Captain Terence Byrne of the National Army who fell outside the Hibernian.

Hannah's Death Certificate states she died of a haemorrhage brought about by a bullet wound to the abdomen and that she died within 20 minutes. She is buried in the Franciscan Friary Graveyard. She was only 47.

https://archive.org/stream/seabornethirtyye006913mbp/seabornethirtyye006913mbp_djvu.txt

Link to James B. Connolly's travels in Ireland