The Ballycannon Boys remembered
A new documentary telling the story of six IRA volunteers who were killed in county Cork in 1921 will have its first screening next week.
Commissioned by Cork hurling and football club St Vincent’s, the documentary delves into the lives and backgrounds of all six young men who lost their lives at a farm at Ballycannon in Clogheen on 23 March 1921.
The volunteers, who were on the run from the British forces, were massacred in the early morning by a party of RIC and Black and Tans.
The farm is said to have been a known safehouse where volunteers could take shelter when it was too dangerous to sleep at home.
The six IRA volunteers killed were Daniel Crowley, 23; William Deasy, 20; Thomas Dennehy, 21; Daniel Murphy, 24; Jeremiah O'Mullane, 23; and Michael O'Sullivan, 20. They were all from Cork.
The documentary will explore the lives of the six men, where they came from, and what life was like in Cork at the time, and will feature interviews with lifelong club members, former officers and players, all recalling the stories they know about the Ballycannon Boys.
Each Easter Sunday, St Vincent’s pays tribute to the men with a procession followed by the laying of a wreath at the memorial monument erected in 1945.
The documentary, which was originally commissioned to mark the centenary of the massacre, was created by Unity Media Network with the support of the club’s executive committee and the Cork City Council Centenaries Commemorative Fund.
Unity Media Network is headed by two former St Vincent’s players and committee members, Brian O' Sullivan and Alan Gould who, together with the club, have been working on the project for almost 12 months, conducting interviews and undertaking extensive research.
On 25 March at the Firkin Crane Cork, the documentary’s premiere screening will take place on a big screen allowing the audience to immerse themselves in Cork’s history. The premiere will be attended by the Lord Mayor of Cork City Cllr Colm Kelleher who will say a few words on behalf of the people of Cork.
Some of the families of the six volunteers will also attend the premiere along with local historians Des O’Grady and Gerry White, both of whom feature in the documentary and will be seeing the finished project for the very first time.
There will be live music before and after the screening with light refreshments provided. It is a ticket only event with donations being made to help fund the proposed Ballycannon Park Memorial Garden project. Tickets are expected to sell out fast with a second screening set to take place with sufficient interest.