Sean McEoin

Seán Mac Eoin
Mac Eoin, Studio Photo, c. 1917
Born	(1893-09-30)30 September 1893 Ballinalee, County Longford
Died	7 July 1973(1973-07-07) (aged 79) County Longford, Ireland
Allegiance	Irish Republican Brotherhood Irish Volunteers Irish Republican Army Irish Free State Army
Battles/wars	Irish War of Independence Irish Civil War

Seán Mac Eoin (30 September 1893 – 7 July 1973) was an Irish Fine Gael politician and soldier. He was commonly referred to as the "Blacksmith of Ballinalee".

Seán Mac Eoin was born John Joseph McKeon on 30 September 1893 at Bunlahy, Granard, County Longford, the eldest son of Andrew McKeon and Catherine Treacy. After a national school education he trained as a blacksmith in his father's forge and, on his father's death in February 1913, he took over the running of the forge and the maintenance of the McKeon family. He moved to Kilinshley, in the Ballinalee district, County Longford to set up a new forge.

His Irish nationalist activities began in earnest in the same year when he joined the Clonbroney Company of the Irish Volunteers and was sworn into the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

He came to prominence in the War of Independence as leader of an Irish Republican Army (IRA) flying column. In November 1920, he led the Longford brigade in attacking Crown forces in Granard during one of the periodic government reprisals, forcing them to retreat to their barracks. On 31 October RIC Inspector Philip St John Howlett Kelleher was shot dead in Kiernan's Greville Arms Hotel in Granard. The Auxiliaries set fire to parts of the town. MacEoin looked on helplessly as they went on the rampage. The next day, MacEoin held the village of Ballinalee situated on the Longford Road between Longford and Granard. They stood against superior British forces, forcing them to retreat and abandon their ammunition. In a separate attack on 8 November MacEoin led his men against the RIC at Ballinalee. An eighteen-year-old Constable Taylor was killed. Constable E Shateford and two others were wounded. The story was that the small garrison sang "God Save the King" as they took up positions to return fire.

On Wed, 2 February 1921, Longford IRA ambushed 18 ambushed on the road at Clonfin with a mine they had planted. Two lorries were involved, the first blown up, and the second strafed by rapid rifle fire. District Inspector Lt-Cmdr Worthington Craven was hit by two bullets and killed. District Inspector Taylor was shot in chest and stomach. At the Clonfin Ambush Mac Eoin ordered his men to care for the wounded British, at the expense of captured weaponry. This earned him both praise and criticism, but became a big propaganda boost for the war effort, especially in the United States. He was admired by many within the IRA for leading practically the only effective column in the midlands. In July 1920 he was among the majority of commanders who were prepared to sign the Agreement recognizing the volunteers as the Army of the Republic. The Oath of Allegiance was "for the purpose of ratifying under the Agreement under which the Volunteers came under the control of the Dail".