Military archives: Kevin Barry’s mother was refused payment

Kevin Barry is probably one of the most famous names in republican history but it was not enough to earn his mother any payment for his death. She applied in November 1937 for a special allowance owing to the loss of her son, who was hanged on November 1, 1920.

His sentence was for his role in an attempted IRA raid for arms on a British army truck that resulted in three soldiers’ deaths in Dublin six weeks earlier. The 18-year-old medical student became a figurehead in the publicity campaign for Irish independence, and his story inspired ballads and poems.

However, it was not until 17 years after his death that Mary Barry decided to write to Defence Minister Frank Aiken to see if she was eligible for some pension or other payment under any of the various acts passed since 1923 to compensate those who took part in the War of Independence, or their families. A copy of her letter, dated the day after her son’s 17th anniversary, is contained in the associated file that comes into the public domain almost 80 years later.