Remains of patriot hero deserve proper funeral

John A Murphy is not quite correct in his letter (Irish Examiner, June 26) about Thomas Kent.

On May 2, 1916, the British Army and Royal Irish Constabulary attacked the family home of Mrs Kent and her three sons.

Mr Gabriel Doherty of UCC rather nastily referred to the Kents as “malcontents” on the radio a few days ago. The Kents were attacked in their home and they defended themselves. An RIC constable was shot in the course of the battle. There is no evidence that the Kents killed him. There were a lot of bullets flying around.

The Kents were not the first to fire. Richard Kent was mortally wounded and died two days later. Thomas and William were lined up against a wall to be shot at and would have been murdered by the RIC only that the British army commander wanted to “interrogate” them and he brought them to the military detention barracks across the road at the back of Victoria Barracks, now Collins Barracks.

After being “interrogated” Thomas Kent was judicially murdered in the yard of the detention barracks by the British Army and he was buried where he dropped.

The location is not a fitting place for a patriot hero to lie buried and it is proposed to give his remains a proper funeral and re-inter the remains with his family in Castlelyons in due course.

Seamus Lantry

Morrison’s Island

Cork