Dan Breen Third Tipperary Brigade IRA

Daniel Breen (Irish: Mícheál Dónall Ó Briaoin;11 August 1894 27 December 1969)

Daniel Breen was born into a farming family in Grange, Donohill, County Tipperary. He was educated locally before becoming a plasterer, and later a linesman on the Great Southern Railway.
Daniel Breen joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1912 and the Irish Volunteers in 1914. On 21 January 1919, the day the First Dáil met in Dublin, Breen took part in an ambush at Soloheadbeg. The ambush party, led by Seán Treacy, attacked a group of Royal Irish Constabulary men who were escorting explosives to a quarry and two policeman were shot dead during the engagement. The ambush is considered to be the first action taken in the Irish War of Independence.

Breen later recalled: "...we took the action deliberately, having thought over the matter and talked it over between us. Treacy had stated to me that the only way of starting a war was to kill someone, and we wanted to start a war, so we intended to kill some of the police whom we looked upon as the foremost and most important branch of the enemy forces ... The only regret that we had following the ambush was that there were only two policemen in it, instead of the six we had expected..."

During the Irish War of Independence, Breen had a £10,000 price on his head, however, he quickly established himself as a leader within the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Numerous stories are known about his heroism, one of which details the rescuing of his comrade Seán Hogan at gunpoint from a heavily guarded train at Knocklong station in County Limerick. Another incident occurred in Dublin when he shot his way out through a British military cordon in the northern suburb of Drumcondra (Fernside) in which he and volunteer Sean Treacy escaped only for Treacy to be killed soon after. Breen was shot at least four times, twice of which were in the lung (the first being in the Knocklong rescue). He was present at the ambush in Ashtown on the Meath/Dublin border where Martin Savage was killed while trying to assassinate the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Sir John French, 1st Earl of Ypres.

In the June 1922 elections Breen was nominated as a candidate by both the pro- and anti-Treaty sides, but was not elected.
Breen was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1923 general election as a Republican, anti-Treaty Teachta Dála (TD) for the Tipperary constituency constituency. Following the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Breen joined the Anti-Treaty IRA in the unsuccessful civil war against his former comrades. He was arrested by soldiers of the Irish Free State and interned at Limerick Prison. He spent two months here before going on Hunger strike for 6 days followed by going on thirst strike for six days. Dan Breen was then released.
Breen published an account of his guerrilla days, My Fight for Irish Freedom in 1924. He represented the Tipperary constituency from the fourth Dáil in 1923 as a "Republican", along with Eamon De Valera, Cathal Brugha, Harry Boland and Frank Aiken. He became the first anti-Treaty TD to actually take his seat in 1927. He was defeated in the June 1927 general election and decided to travel to the United States. He returned to Ireland shortly afterwards and regained his seat as a member of Fianna Fáil in the Dáil at the 1932 general election. He represented his Tipperary constituency without a break until his retirement at the 1965 election.
He died in Dublin in 1969 and was buried in Donohill, near the place of his birth. His funeral was the largest seen in West Tipperary since his close friend and comrade-in-arms, Seán Treacy was buried at Kilfeacle in October 1920. An estimated attendance of 10,000 mourners assembled in the tiny hamlet, giving ample testimony to the esteem in which he was held. Breen was the subject of a 2007 biography, Dan Breen and the IRA by Joe Ambrose.

This clip is taken from an RTE programme about The RIC and the Solohead Beg ambush.

Category:

News & Politics

[singledout1211]

@joekilgobinet Hi would u know if the full program is easily available?

[joekilgobinet]

@singledout1211

Not too sure.There was a documentary on TG4 earlier this year. You could try their website.

[carolynbreen]

Proud to be a member of this great Irishman's family. This is the first time I was able to find footage of my cousin. Very cool, thank you!

[32IRISHPRIDE]

@bow1964 a psychopath for not allowing a hostile foreign force rape pillage & murder in his country. your obviosly british. take off your tinted glasses. if you oppress a people,throw them off their land, ban them from practicing their riligion and speaking their native language under the penalty of death they will rebel and fight back.you call them terrorists. we call them freedom fighters. just like the british armies who fought back against the invading roman forces were years ago.

[fuckoffnortherncunt]

this dirty mick was a out rightcunt !

[MrBulldogtools]

@fuckoffnortherncunt Do you even have a clue who they guy was,or are you being the usual thick fuckhead we know you for??.

[fuckoffnortherncunt]

what a cunt he was !

[youngfeniansofeire]

hero

[mattmcnerlin]

We need men like him to free the north

[Picligto]

@protonbart There is a great possibility that I too am his relation. Do you know how I can find out?

[eirezrevenge]

Vol Dan Breen a great and true son of Ireland may he sit in the palm of Gods hand FREEDOM b4 peace that is the true and real Irish Republican way.....talk is cheap actions speak louder join 32CSM

[smegalsheep]

If we had a few cunts like that around today ,Ireland woulnt be a puppit goverment E.U bitch