A capacity attendance was present at Kerry Writers Centre in Listowel for the launch of the DVD on The War of Independence in North Kerry by former Irish International rugby player Donal Lenihan. Those present included relatives of the individuals who were directly involved in the War of Independence including Iva Pocock a great grandniece of Arthur Vickers and Terry O Sullivan a grandnephew of Tobias O Sullivan. Donal Lenihan referred to his grandfather Jack O Lenihan from Charles St., who was wrongfully sentenced to death for the shooting of District Inspector Tobias O Sullivan and would have been executed but for the truce being announced on July 11th 1921. According to Donal his grandfather was revered in North Kerry afterwards because, although he knew the identity of the 3 IRA men who shot the DI, he never revealed their identity to the authorities and was prepared to die for an action he had no involvement in.
The DVD covers the period from the introduction of the Home Rule Bill in 1912 to the Truce on the 11th of July 1921. It was produced by Jimmy Deenihan, edited by Dan Devane, filmed by Charles Nolan with voice over by Joe Stack. You can order a DVD from Kerry Writers Centre at 06822212.
Pictured: Relatives and local historians who participated in the DVD to mark the War of Independence in North Kerry at its recent launch by Donal Lenihan in Kerry Writers Centre in Listowel. Front seated: Caitriona Dee, Kathleen Dee, Sheilanne Dee, Norma Sheehan. Back standing: Cara Trant, Iva Pocock, Tom Dillon, Declan Downey, Padraig Horan, Mairead McCarthy, Brian Quille, Margaret Sheehan, Ted Scanlon, Donal Lenihan, Terry O Sullivan, Jimmy Deenihan,Dan Devane, Mick McCabe and Charles Nolan.
