Dark events in Kilflynn and Ballyseedy became a microcosm of Ireland’s Civil War 

A Memorial Cross over graves of Lyons, Twomey and O'Shea.

Overlooking the tranquil meander of the Shanow River is the small, rural, North Kerry village of Kilflynn whose history is interwoven with the savage legacy of civil war. The lives of five of its sons — Stephen Fuller, Timothy ‘Aero’ Lyons, George O’Shea, Timothy Twomey and John Shanahan — were forever marked by the dark events that took place at Ballyseedy and Clashmealcon Caves in the last desperate weeks of the conflict in Kerry. The traumatic experiences of these young men, their families, and this wider community of 124 people was, in many ways, a microcosm of Ireland’s Civil War.

Aged between 21 and 27 in 1923, all five were farmer’s sons and grew up close to one another. In the hamlet of Fahavane, outside the village, the Fuller, Shanahan and O’Shea families lived in the first, second and fifth house respectively. From an early age O’Shea and Lyons were recognised as leaders. O’Shea founded and captained the Tullig Gamecocks who won Kilflynn the 1916 Kerry County Hurling Championship.