Dan Breen

Dan Breen

Dan Breen was born on August 11th, 1894. Dan passed away December 27th, 1969 at 75 years old. Dan Breen was born in Grange, County Tipperary, Ireland.

Dan Breen was a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army during both the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. During his later years Dan was a Fianna Fail politician.

In 1912, Dan was sworn into the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Volunteers in 1914. On January 21, 1919, which is the day that the First Dail met in Dublin, Dan took part in the Soloheadbeg ambush. It was an eight man team led by Seaumas Robinson, attacked two Royal Irish Constabulary men that were escorting explosives to this quarry. The two cops were fatally shot during this incident. It’s considered the first incident of the Irish War of Independence.

During this conflict, the British put £1,000 price that was later raised all the way to £10,000. Dan soon established himself as a leader within the IRA and was known for his courage. On May 13, 1919 he helped rescue Sean Hogan, a comrade, at gunpoint from this heavily guarded train at Knocklong station in County Limerick. Dan, who had been wounded recalled how the battalion was denounced as being cold blooded assassins and then condemned by the Catholic Church.

Dan and Sean Treacy were able to shoot their way out through this British military cordon in the northern suburb of Drumcondra. They escaped, just for Treacy to get killed the following day in a shootout with British forces. Dan was shot at least four times, including twice in the lung.

Dan was present during the ambush in Ashtown right next to Phoenix Park in Dublin where Martin Savage was killed while attempting to assassinate Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Viscount French. The IRA guys hid behind hedges and a dungheap while the convoy drove past. They’d been told to ignore the first car, however this is where Lord French, their target was.

During the Second World War, he was said to hold primarily pro-Axis views, with admiration for Erwin Rommel.

My Fight for Irish Freedom: An Autobiography is about how in 1919 this group of young men just barely out of their teens, armed poorly, without much money and had little training, renewed the fight that started in 1916 to push the British out of Ireland.

Dan Breen was to become the best known of the bunch. At first they were condemned on every side. They became outlaws and this book describes in vivid detail what life was like for them ‘on the run’, with a fully army at their heels and a thousand pounds on their heads. This burning belief in their cause kept them going through many a bitter and dark day and slowly support came from each of the people.

Dan Breen: F.A.Q