George Lennon

George Lennon (25 May 1900 – 20 February 1991) was an Irish Republican Army leader during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War.

George Gerard Lennon was born in Dungarvan, County Waterford on 25 May 1900.

His parents were George Crolly Lennon, manager of the local gas works, and Ellen (Shanahan) Lennon.

He was the second of five siblings.

At the time of the 1911 census, the family lived on Grattan Square, Dungarvan in a two-storey home at 81 O'Connell Street, Dungarvan.

As a member of Na Fianna Eireann he and companion "Barney" Dalton were arrested for activating an improvised explosive device (I.E.D) along the Dungarvan quay.

West Waterford O/C P.C. O'Mahony listed him, in October 1914, as the fourteen year old "Adjutant" of the newly formed Dungarvan Volunteers.

An Irish Republican Brotherhood (I.R.B.) circle of twenty, organised by O'Mahony, included Lennon, Pax Whelan and Dan Fraher, all later prominent during the ensuing War of Independence.

After the Easter Rising (in which he and Pax Whelan stopped a train in a futile search for arms), Lennon left Abbeyside School just prior to his sixteenth birthday to devote himself full time to the Irish Republican cause.

Imprisoned for the first time, (theft of a soldier's Lee-Enfield rifle) as a seventeen year old, at Ballybricken Prison, Waterford City, he was "on the run" for nearly a year before being captured and sentenced at Lismore Court House to Cork Male Gaol.

Incarcerated with Charlie Daly of Kerry and Sean Moylan he was released prematurely, due to ill health at the time of the third outbreak of Spanish Influenza, in May 1919.

He served as West Waterford Vice Commanding Officer under Pax Whelan.

With Liam Lynch on 7 September 1919, Lennon took part in the first attack, since Easter Week 1916, on British military forces at Fermoy's Wesleyan Church.

In May 1920 he participated in "one of the fiercest of all barracks attacks..."

directed at the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in Kilmallock, County Limerick.

After this, Lennon was attached to the East Limerick Flying Column (the first organised of "men on the run") and took part in a series of attacks on Crown forces at Bruree, County Limerick and Kildorrery, County Cork with Tom Barry (Irish republican).

He also served with the West Limerick Column and, at Liam Lynch's request, helped organise the famed Cork No. 2 Column portrayed in Sean Keating's iconic Men of the South.

Circa September/October 1920 he took command of the West Waterford Flying Column as the youngest leader, with Belfast's Roger McCorley, of an active service unit.

Operating from the Comeragh Mountains and the Drum Hills, Lennon, with Great War veteran John Riordan, planned and led the Piltown Cross ambush on 1 November 1920 (the date of the execution, in Dublin, of Kevin Barry) in which a British Army unit was overwhelmed and armaments seized.

In 1921 the flying column took part in the unsuccessful Pickardstown ambush near Tramore and the Burgery ambush in March 1921.

Capturing childhood acquaintance RIC Sergeant Hickey, he had him executed as a "police spy".

In all, Lennon was involved in some 17 engagements against R.I.C. and British forces, not including gun-running activities and arms seizures.

The activities of Lennon's column resulted in nearly a thousand British soldiers being deployed to Waterford, along with over two hundred RIC and Royal Marines.

He fought at the Battle of Waterford of July 1922 (See Irish Free State offensive) against former comrade and East Waterford Commanding Officer Paddy Paul.

The first and last shots of the battle were fired from his command at Ballybricken Gaol.

Retreating westward his men occupied Mount Congreve.

He subsequently resigned in a letter to Liam Deasy when it became obvious that the war would prove ruinous for Ireland.

In January 1922, staying at Vaughan's Hotel with I.R.A Chief of Staff Liam Lynch (killed by Free State Forces,10 April 1923) of Cork and Charlie Daly of Kerry ("Drumboe Martyr "executed 14 March 1923) he was present at the Mansion House when the Dáil voted to accept the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

In the subsequent Irish Civil War, he took the anti-Treaty side,leading his men into a generally non-receptive Waterford City.

The local newspaper in 1924 referenced "...in the struggles that took place he had many hair-breadth escapes".

Following the 11 July Truce Lennon was the designated IRA Brigade Liaison Officer for County Waterford.

IRA Liaison Officers duties were to smooth out any difficulties that might arise between the IRA and the Free State authorities.

Lennon emigrated to New York City in 1927 where he was employed in the insurance and hotel businesses.

Lennon was also the business manager and contributor (aka "George Crolly") to the short-lived art/literary magazine The Irish Review edited by Ulster poet Joseph Campbell.

An earlier Irish Review had been published in Dublin by Joseph Mary Plunkett.

He was naturalized as a United States citizen on 19 December 1933.

Listed as sponsors were former Free State officers General Prout and Colonel Patrick Paul.

Listed as managing editor in 1934 was his brother-in-law, George H. Sherwood.

The magazine included portrayals of the works of Sean Keating and Power O'Malley, born Michael Augustine Power in Dungarvan.

Out of his New York City apartment, he campaigned for pensions via the West Waterford Brigade Old I.R.A Men's Association.