Michael Moran (4 December 1890 – 24 November 1920) was commandant of the Tuam Battalion of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

. He was shot dead in controversial circumstances, by members of the

Auxiliary Division The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary (ADRIC), generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary unit of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) during the Irish War of Independence. It was founded in July 1920 by Majo ...

, on 24 November 1920.

Early life

A native of Carramoneen,

Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, Moran was born in 1890 or 1891. In the aftermath of the 1916

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

, he became involved with

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

and the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers (), also known as the Irish Volunteer Force or the Irish Volunteer Army, was a paramilitary organisation established in 1913 by nationalists and republicans in Ireland. It was ostensibly formed in response to the format ...

. He participated locally in the 1918 Anti-Conscription Campaign.

Irish War of Independence

Initially involved in fundraising to buy arms, as of 1919 he was in command of the Tuam Battalion of the Irish Volunteers (by then more commonly known as the IRA). During the

, Moran's battalion were involved in a number of engagements with the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...

(RIC) and

, including an ambush at Gallagh in which several RIC constables were killed. Suspected of involvement in several IRA raids in the area, Moran was arrested in October 1920 and held in Galway Gaol for six weeks before being released without charge. He was subsequently rearrested and on 24 November 1920, while being transferred the short distance from Eglinton Street RIC barracks in

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

to a detention camp on Earl's Island, was shot by the members of the Auxiliary Division reportedly guarding him. While an official enquiry concluded that he was "shot while attempting to escape custody", a number of sources describe Moran's death as an example of the type of extrajudicial killing which was prevalent at the time.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, Michael) 1890 births People murdered in 1920 1920 deaths People from Tuam Deaths by firearm in Ireland Irish Republicans killed during the Irish War of Independence People murdered in Ireland Murder victims from County Galway Unsolved murders in Ireland Police misconduct during the Irish War of Independence

Early life

Irish War of Independence

See also

References