Originally from Wicklow
Present at shootong Of Angliss in Lower Mount Street
After a brief exchange of fire, in which Teeling was captured, all the rest escaped from Lower Mount Street, but not before Tom Keogh stopped to make a date with one of the maids. Denis Begley’s account was a little different from Mr C’s. C. was after all considered a ‘drunkard and a coward if not worse… suffering from shell-shock and neurasthenia ’. There was talk of an illegitimate child with the maid downstairs. Begley’s version was much simpler. Tom Keogh uttered ‘Carry on lads ’ and McMahon was shot dead.
Tom Keogh, Jim Slattery, Frank Teeling, Denis Begley, and Andy Monaghan went into 22 Lower Mount Street looking for Lieutenant H. McMahon. They found the man, whose real name was Angliss, in bed with the man who became the inquest’s relatively notorious ‘Mr C’. He testified at Teeling’s court-martial that I was awakened about 9 a.m. by someone shouting ‘Hands up’ when I opened my eyes I saw five men standing at the end of my bed covering me with revolvers. One of the men who appeared to be acting as leader gave the order to keep McMahon and myself covered and he proceeded to search the room. He picked up a civilian coat belonging to McMahon and said ‘ is this your coat McMahon’, McMahon said ‘No.’ He then put his hand in the inside pocket, took out a wallet and said ‘You’re a damned liar ’ and put the wallet in his pocket. He then said ‘where are your guns Mac’. McMahon said ‘look here we are two R[oman] C[atholic]s but the guns are in that bag’. The man then walked over to the bag which was lying in a corner of the room, lifted it on to the table and burst the locks off with his hands and took out three revolvers. They were one service Colt, one Webly-Scott Automatic and one .32 automatic. He put them in his pockets. I then heard firing which seemed to come from the street and I heard a noise as if someone was trying to smash in the front door. A man’s voice on the landing then shouted ‘are you all right there boys. They’re surrounding the house.’ The five men in the room then turned as if to rush out, they went a little way down the room then halted and the man who had been doing the searching raised his revolver – pointed it at the bed and fired. I saw McMahon raise his arm to cover his face and at the same time I threw myself out of the bed on to the floor practically simultaneously I heard other shots ring out from the other men in the room and they all rushed out of the room. McMahon was shot three times in the chest and once in the buttock. The officer in the next room barricaded his door. Seventeen shots failed to penetrate it
Tom Keogh’, it was said, ‘never moved without his gun. ’ He was dead by the age of twenty-three
w.s.631 Bernard .C.Byrne, along with his two brothers, Joseph and Charley, were members of D.Company,1st.Batt. of the Dublin Brigade.Bernard and Joseph were both members of the squad.
Bernard states the following in his W.S.Ref-John Ryan, British Spy, shot 5th February,1921.
The murder of Dick McKee and Peader Clancy in Dublin Castle after the Bloody Sunday shootings had been a severe blow to the volunteers generally, but to the squad it was a more personal matter, as McKee and Clancy, together with Collins, had always been our most ardent supporters. There was much speculation and keen competition in the squad as to who would have the honour of dealing with the person alleged to have been responsible for their capture.
After a long period of delay, which caused us serious misgivings,we were finally informed by Headquarters that they had located the man responsible. His name was Ryan and their information was to the effect that he could be found around mid-day practically any day drinking in a public house in Gloucester Diamond, on the opposite corner to the small church then known as the Tin Chapel.
After some slight discussion as to ways and means it was decided that Tom Keogh and myself should have a look at the premises in Gloucester Diamond with a view to seeing the general layout. We had a good description of Ryan and without further ado, we proceeded to the Gloucester Diamond. We were accompanied by Slattery.Eddie Byrne, Vincent Byrne, Frank Bolster, Jimmy Conroy,Stapleton, Leonard, Mick Kennedy and Mick Reilly.
The procedure normally followed on occasions like this was adopted, that is to say, men were posted in various positions to act as a covering off party and we went along to the public-house where we hoped to find Ryan. The two of us entered the public-house by a door on the right hand side, called for two drinks, and proceeded to talk in general terms about nothing in particular, while at the same time giving the customers the once over.We eliminated the different people in the shop with the exception of one man who was sitting on our immediate right deeply immersed in a study of The Early Bird, a racing paper. We were unable to see his features, but believed from his general build that he was the man in whom we were interested.Keogh nudged me to make a move, and I, taking the hint, approached the man and asked him what they were tipping for some particular race, the three o,clock or the 3.30. This brought about the desired result, because he had of necessity to lower the paper.Immediately he did so we knew our search was over.Without any discussion or delay Keogh fired on him, I doing likewise.We made no delay, nor did we make any further examination of our victim, because we were perfectly satisfied from our previous experience that Ryan would betray no more members of our organisation. un-quote.
Said to have shot Mulloy with Mick McDonnell