James O’Connor, a 24-year-old from Bansha, was among seven anti-Treaty IRA men executed on December 19, 1922, in what became the largest single execution of the Irish Civil War. Known as the Rathbride Seven, these men were part of an Active Service Unit operating near the Curragh, tasked with sabotaging rail lines to disrupt Free State troop movements. Their mission reflected the deep divisions that followed the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which O’Connor and his comrades opposed, viewing it as a betrayal of the Republic.
On the night of December 12–13, National Army troops raided a dugout at the Moore family farmhouse near Rathbride Bridge. They captured tenmen, including O’Connor, and seized arms, ammunition, and explosives. Annie Moore, whose brother Bryan and fiancé Patrick Bagnall were among the group, was also arrested. During the raid, Thomas Behan of Rathangan was shot dead while trying to escape.
The captured men faced a military court under emergency legislation that allowed executions without full judicial process. Despite appeals for clemency, seven were sentenced to death: James O’Connor, Bryan Moore (37), Patrick Bagnall (19), Patrick Nolan (34), Patrick Mangan (22), Stephen White(18), and Joseph Johnston (18). They were executed by firing squad at the Curragh Military Prison, known as the Glasshouse. Initially buried within the prison grounds, their remains were reinterred in Grey Abbey Cemetery in 1924, where a monument now stands.
Their deaths left families shattered and communities scarred. For Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Féin leader and O’Connor’s great-niece,his execution remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of political conflict.
Sources:
https://kildarelibraries.ie/ehistory/death-in-december-90th-anniversary-of-curragh-executions/
https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2022/06/29/mary-lou-mcdonald-remembers-great-uncle-who-was-executed-in-civil-war/
https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/home/982946/kildare-history-remembering-the-rathbride-seven-who-were-executed-on-the-curragh-100-years-ago.html
