Rescue at Knocklong

In one of the most dramatic events in the Irish War of Independence, a handcuffed young Tipperary volunteer, Seán Hogan, was rescued from a train while sat between four armed members of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). Two RIC were killed in the attack and a number of the volunteers wounded. The rescue was undertaken by three of Hogan’s comrades from the Third Tipperary Brigade of the IRA and five members of the Galtee Battalion of the East Limerick Brigade. Hogan was one of the most wanted men in Ireland at the time of his rescue, due to his role in the Soloheadbeg ambush and would almost certainly had been executed if he hadn’t been rescued. The rescue took place on Hogan’s 18th birthday, 13 May 1919, while the Cork bound train stopped at Knocklong station in Limerick.

The rescue was a great boost for Republican morale in the early stages of the war and within a matter of weeks a number of popular ballads were being sung across Ireland regaling the events of the rescue.

Hogan was a wanted man after his participation in the Soloheadbeg Ambush earlier in the year. He was on the run with his comrades from the Third Tipperary Brigade, Séamus Robinson, Seán Treacy and Dan Breen, known as the “Big Four”. These four men had spent much of the previous three months sleeping in the rough or in the houses of Republicans across Tipperary and Limerick, with a large reward on offer for their capture. Having spent the previous four nights with little sleep they attended a dance being held near Clonoulty, Tipperary. Hogan had gone on after the dance to Meagher's of Annfield, while his three comrades had earlier retired to a nearby house. Hogan fell asleep on a sofa in the kitchen but was awaken to cries that the 'peelers are raiding the house’. He leapt to his feet, grabbed his gun and ran out the back of the house, climbed over the back wall of the yard where he landed next to party of six RIC. He was wrestled to the ground and disarmed and taken to a nearby barracks before being transferred to Thurles barracks.

After being informed of Hogan’s capture by Patrick Kinnane of the 2nd Tipperary Brigade, the other members of the "Big Four" — Sean Treacy, Dan Breen and Seamus Robinson — immediately decided to try and rescue their young comrade before he was sent to one of the bigger prisons, where it would be impossible to rescue him. They first travelled to the Maloney homestead at Lackelly a few miles from Emly and Knocklong railway stations. After a short discussion Mai Moloney volunteered to go to Thurles to ascertain the whereabouts of Hogan,having been assured that he was still in Thurles, she returned with the news to Robinson, Breen and Treacy. They decided to try and rescue Hogan from the train which was to take him to Cork prison.

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Wikipedia