Kevin Coen (1947 – 20 January 1975) was a

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

in the Sligo Brigade of the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...

(IRA) who was killed in

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

Background

Coen was born and grew up in Rusheen,

Riverstown Riverstown, historically called ''Ballyederdaowen'' (), is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. Known for its musical tradition it is located at a bridging point of the River Unshin (Arrow), 17.2 km (10 miles) south of Sligo town and 4 ...

, South County Sligo, in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

.Ireland: Families win victory against British terror

Paramilitary activity

Coen joined the IRA and served with the Sligo Brigade and was a member of the Southern Command. In 1971, Coen was imprisoned in

Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison ( ga, Príosún Mhuinseo), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed ''The Joy'', is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Edward Mullins. History ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, where he was jailed with fellow

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Dan Hoban. At the age of 28, Coen was killed by a

soldier while on

active service Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...

at Cassidy's Cross (also known as Mullan Cross) near

Kinawley Kinawley or Kinawly () is a small village, townland (of 187 acres) and civil parish straddling County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland and County Cavan, Republic of Ireland. The village and townland are both in the civil parish of Kinawley (founded b ...

, a village in the south-west of

, close to the County Cavan / County Fermanagh

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

, on 20 January 1975. The CAIN Sutton Index lists him as being shot during an attempted bus hijacking. However, Republican sources state he was shot on the main

Swanlinbar Swanlinbar () is a small village on the N87 national secondary road in north-west County Cavan, Ireland, close to the Cladagh river and near the Fermanagh border. The village is situated in the townlands of Furnaceland and Hawkswood, in the ci ...

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

road by undercover British troops in an unmarked civilian car, who opened fire at an IRA checkpoint. Coen was the first volunteer from the Southern Command to be killed on active service since Tony Ahern died in May 1973. Ahern, from

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city's ...

, had been killed near

Roslea Rosslea or Roslea () is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, near the border with County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. It stands on the Finn River and is beset by small natural lakes. Roslea Forest, also known as Sprin ...

in south-east

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of a ...

Memorial

Leitrim Republican,

John Joe McGirl John Joe McGirl (25 March 1921 – 8 December 1988) was an Irish republican, a Sinn Féin politician, and a former chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Biography Anti-Treaty IRA Born and raised in Ballinamore, County Leitrim, M ...

, gave the oration at his graveside in Sooey,

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the an ...

. At the graveside of Coen, McGirl stated; The East Sligo

Cumann A (Irish for association; plural ) is the lowest local unit or branch of a number of Irish political parties. The term ''cumann'' may also be used to describe a non-political association. Traditionally, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil have called ...

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...

is named the ''Coen/Savage Cumann'' and the Sligo Cumann of Republican Sinn Féin is named the ''Noble Six/Kevin Coen Cumann'' in honour of Coen, and they both hold an annual commemoration at his graveside. There is an annual lecture given in his name which has been addressed by Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Pat Doherty, Pearse Doherty, Aengus Ó Snodaigh and

Gerry Adams Gerard Adams ( ga, Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth from 2011 to 2020. ...

in recent years.Irish government must demand answers from British on murder of Irish citizens

Roadside memorial to Coen and Crossan at Cassidy's Cross

A roadside monument was erected in 2000 at Cassidy's Cross, Mullan, near

in south-west

, where Coen was killed in January 1975. The monument stands in the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

of Corranaheen, on the side of the Swanlinbar Road, the stretch of the A32 that is the main road from

. As well as commemorating Coen, this monument also commemorates James Crossan (1932-1958), a

activist who was killed by the RUC near the same spot in August 1958, during the Border Campaign. Crossan was a native of Aughavas, a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

south-west of Carrigallen in South Leitrim. In 1947, upon his father's death, he and his family had moved to Cloneary, a

near

Bawnboy Bawnboy () is a small village and townland in a valley at the foot of Slieve Rushen, between Ballyconnell and Swanlinbar, in County Cavan, Ireland. A synod of the Roman Catholic Provincial Council of Armagh was held in Owengallees, Baunbuidhe ...

in West Cavan, where he spent the rest of his life. He was buried in Kilnavart Cemetery, near Bawnboy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coen, Kevin 1947 births 1975 deaths Deaths by firearm in Northern Ireland Irish republicans People from Riverstown, County Sligo People killed by security forces during The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Provisional Irish Republican Army members Republicans imprisoned during the Northern Ireland conflict

Background

Paramilitary activity

Memorial

Roadside memorial to Coen and Crossan at Cassidy's Cross

See also

References