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James Kainth

Liz Gillis

HIS 315

18 September 2018

Michael Mallin1

Michael Mallin has definitely made his mark on Ireland, so much so that there are social

housing flats nicknamed the “Michael Mallin Flats” as a memento of

his upbringing in the Liberties, the heart of the Irish revolution.

“Mallin was born in Dublin in 1874. His early career was as a soldier

in the British Army in India and Afghanistan. On returning to Dublin

he became a trade union official. In 1913 he was active in the

lockout, and was appointed second in command when the Irish

Citizen Army was founded. During Easter week he was the

commanding officer of the ICA at St Stephen’s Green, and spent the

majority of the week at the Royal College of Surgeons. Following his arrest he was sentenced to

death by court-martial. He was executed by firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol on 8 May 1916.”

(The Men & Women of 1916: The Executed)

Michael Mallin was an average boy brought into being by Sarah Dowling and John

Mallin on the 1st of December, 1874, at Ward's Hill in the parish of St. Nicholas of Myra,

Francis St. As the eldest of nine children, Michael was educated at the National School on

1 Photo: “Michael Mallin in his British Army uniform, India, c. 1899. He was from the Liberties in Dublin. Discharged from the army in October 1901, he became a weaver by trade. An advocate of workers’ rights, he became very close to James Connolly, and joined the Irish Citizen Army upon its inception. He was the commandant in charge of the garrison which took over St. Stephen’s Green and the College of Surgeons. On the 8th of May he was executed in Kilmainham Gaol.” (Gillis, pg38)

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Denmark Street. When he was 15, he visited his uncle James Dowling on holiday. He was

persuaded by Mrs. Downling to join the 21st Royal Scots Fusiliers. When the Boer War (also

known as the South African War) was active between 1899-1902, Mallin served twelve years in

the army, seven of which were in India. While in India, Michael refused to give a contribution

towards a memorial to Queen Victoria. He was asked for an explanation. He answered that he

could not subscribe, as the English Monarch had to take an oath to uphold the Protestant Faith.

This and other similar incidents is why his brother Tom believes he did not receiving any

military promotions above drummer; though he was awarded the India Medal of 1895 with the

Punjab Frontier and Tirah clasps 1897-98 (Éirí Amach Ná Cásca 1916 – The Birth of a Nation!).

About this time, he wrote home for an Irish textbook to endeavour to learn the Irish language.

When his time in the Army had expired, he was pressed to remain on as Band Sergeant,

but he refused. He told his Adjutant that he wanted to go home, because he wanted to forget that

he was ever a soldier. His uncle James, meanwhile, had been pensioned from the Army, and had

become a silk weaver in Atkinson's Poplin Factory. Michael soon followed, becoming his

apprentice. Michael picked the skill of weaving up steadily as his mother was an avid weaver; he

worked his way to Secretary of their Trade Union. In 1903, he married Agnes Hickey in

Chapelizod Church. “Her father had been a Fenian and was actually ‘out’ in the Rising of '67.

Michael's mother, Sarah Dowling, lost her post in a Macclesfield Silk Factory owing to

expressing her sympathy with Allen, Larkin and O'Brien, the Manchester Martyrs. She had

actually seen the attack on the prison van in Manchester.” (BMH.WS0382.pdf)

In 1911, Michael became friends with James Larkin, one of the founders of the Irish

Labour Party, during the Weaver’s strike in 1911. Tom Mallin remembers James Larkin, saying,

“it was necessary to form a Citizens' Defence Force to protect the citizens against the brutalities

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of the police.” (BMH.WS0382.pdf) Tom also remembers his brother as being highly involved in

the movements and making an impact on the revolution. “One one occasion when I visited him

in Francis St., he pointed to a map on which he used to follow the progress of the war and said;

‘The British are going to make a landing at salonika and it would be a good time for a row.’

While I was there he was called out and on his return he told me he had removed ‘stuff’ from

Volunteer H. Q. in Parnell Sq., as he had got word there was going to be a raid on it. He was of

[the] opinion that England was very much handicapped. He also said that if there was trouble,

England would have only about 1,000 men in Ireland fit to fight. On one occasion, he went to

Finglas to organise fife and drum bands and as a cover for organising for the movement. He also

had a boys' club in Capel St. whom he used to train up in the Dublin Mountains. He frequently

went to Richmond Barracks - trafficking in rifles” (BMH.WS0382.pdf) On May 7th Mallin

received his sentence of death and sent for his wife and brother. This is what Mallin told his wife

the day before he died: “We have been married 15 years, and during that period we have had

only one difference, and I hope you are satisfied about my explanation of that one incident. We

have three sons and one daughter and another coming into the world. If it is a boy, call it

“Michael” after me; if a girl, call it “Mary” after the Mother of God. I have a letter written which

the Comdt. says will be delivered to you in the-morning. I will tell you all that is in the letter. It

deals only with domestic matters. James is now thirteen and John is eleven. If it is the will of

God, I want them to grow up to be big men and look after you. Una and little Joseph, whom I

will never hold in my arms again, are dedicated to the Church. I want them in the service of God

for the good of my soul. Try and find the dog. I saw it when I was being brought to the Castle,

but I was afraid to call it, in case they would shoot it. I want you to promise me you will never

marry again. I would like -6- to see James and John” (BMH.WS0382.pdf)

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A prison guard said this about Michael’s mother on the reaction hearing his sentence of

death: “[I] will never forget what I saw in that cell, to hear an aged woman say she was delighted

to have. her first son die for his country”(BMH.WS0382.pdf) To his two son, Mallin said:

“James you are 13, John you are 11. I have given you as good an education as my father gave

me. I am dying in the hope that we have made Ireland a better Ireland for you to live in. I want

you to grow up to be big men, to work and keep your mother, and when the time comes, to do as

I have done. Tom will look after you.” (BMH.WS0382.pdf) When Michael and his brother were

finally left alone, his brother asked him if his work for the revolution was worth it. Michael

replied, “Ireland is a grand country, but the people in it are rotters. The first Irishman to join the

British Army was a bastard. The British Army is made up of them and gaolbirds and wasters.

Some join through drink and some through lack of work. I will show my guards how an Irishman

can die for his own country - in his own country. I can die praying. If these men are sent to

France they will die cursing. they will die lying on the ground, moaning, and not able to see their

mothers and their sweethearts. Tom, burn the picture with the set of drums. Tom, I have nothing

to give. I have my life to give and I will give it for my country. have many debts. Tell them that

by my death I have paid I all my debts, Look after Agnes and the children.”(BMH.WS0382.pdf)

The ability to speak to his family before his death was a privilege that many other

Irishmen didn’t receive. Having those meetings recorded allows us in the present day to see what

kind of man Michael Mallin was. On the 8th of May Michael Mallin was sentenced to death at

Kilmainham Gaol; he was to be executed by firing squad. Although not many know the details of

Michael’s feats and life, it is safe to say that Michael Mallin grew up to be no average man.

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Citations

“BMH.WS0382.pdf | The Bureau of Military History 1913-1921.” The Bureau of Military

History 1913-1921, The Bureau of Military History,

www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/reels/bmh/BMH.WS0382.pdf#page=1

“BMH.WS0733.pdf | The Bureau of Military History 1913-1921.” The Bureau of Military

History 1913-1921, The Bureau of Military History,

www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/reels/bmh/BMH.WS0733.pdf#page=1

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “South African War.” Encyclopædia Britannica,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 May 2018, www.britannica.com/event/South-African-War.

“The Men & Women of 1916: The Executed.” RTÉ Century Ireland, RTÉ/Boston College, 0AD,

www.rte.ie/centuryireland/index.php/articles/the-men-women-of-1916-the-executed.

“Éirí Amach Ná Cásca 1916 – The Birth of a Nation!” Stair Na HÉireann/History of Ireland,

Stair Na HÉireann/History of Ireland, 31 Mar. 2018, www.stairnaheireann.net/2018/04/01/eiri-

amach-na-casca-1916-the-birth-of-a-nation-3/.

“Michael Mallin - CSO - Central Statistics Office.” Women and Men in Ireland 2016 - CSO -

Central Statistics Office, 15 Feb. 2017, www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-

1916/1916irl/cpr/coem/mm/.

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“The Men & Women of 1916: The Executed.” RTÉ Century Ireland, RTÉ/Boston College, 0AD,

www.rte.ie/centuryireland/index.php/articles/the-men-women-of-1916-the-executed.