An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 26 | A s a 12-year-old caddy at the hermitage Golf Club in Lucan, Co Dublin, I encountered a famous Irish military man who was also a renowned golfer. I came to know him on the well-cultivated fairways and greens where the money earned by a caddy like myself was most welcome in the straitened times of the early 1950s, a time when it was not unusual for caddies to walk the course in their bare feet. basi- cally there are two kinds of golfers, those interested in playing to a high standard, and those more interested in the company and having fun. Caddies preferred to carry the bag for the good players: they hit the ball straight, concentrated on their game, and completed the round much earlier. the slow playing groups were called 'funerals' in the caddie community. The distinguished sportsman I caddied for was Emmet Dalton, who had served as a major general in the newly formed National Army in 1922, the forerunner of the Irish Defence Forces. Memories of this amazing man came flooding back to me when I read a fascinating account of his life and times in the recently published biography by Sean Boyne, Emmet Dalton: Somme Soldier, Irish General, Film Pioneer. It was not difficult to carry Dalton's bag because he was a scratch golfer who won several single and team competitions while a member of the Hermitage. He also played soccer for Bohemians. Other than his sporting prowess, I had no knowl- edge of the other aspects of his life at the time. The main reason I remember him so clearly is because of the respectful attitude shown towards him by his fellow players, who always addressed him as 'General'. In later years I came to understand how important a person he was in the struggle for the formation of the Irish state. My older brother caddied for Dalton in the late 1930s when he stood out even more because he was always accompanied by two 'minders', who I assume to have been Garda body- guards, who followed the golfing party at a distance. When he arrived and departed the clubhouse he was accompanied by a security car that drove in front of his. Emmet Dalton spent almost ten years on active service in the Great War, the War of Independence, and the Civil War. Although born in America he was reared in Drumcondra, Dublin. At 17 he joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (Dubliners) even though his family had strong nationalist sympathies and his father and brother were active in the Irish Independence movements. However, it was not unusual at the time for one brother to be active in the IRA and another to be in the Brit- ish Army: Ernie O'Malley fought in the Easter Rising while his brother was in the British Army. Dalton and his father's friend, the poet Tom Kettle, took part in the Battle of the Somme, where, sadly, Kettle died when both men went over the top together during the attack on Ginchy. Just a few days before his death, Kettle had read a poem to Dalton that he had composed for his daughter: one of the finest poems to come out of the great conflict, the last four lines of which are quoted to this day. Know that we fools, now with the foolish dead, Died not for the flag, nor King, nor Emperor, but for a dream born in a herdsman's shed And for the secret scripture of the poor. After the war Dalton returned to a changed Ireland where the struggle for independence was gaining strength. His younger brother, Charlie, had joined the IRA in 1917 and was active in Michael Collins's intelligence department. Dalton became involved in republican activities. He was ap- pointed to train IRA men in map reading, the use of arms and other skills, and then became the IRA's Director of Training. Soon after he joined the IRA, Dalton met Michael Collins, a man who was to have a profound effect on his life. His next meeting with Collins resulted in Dalton taking a lead role in one of the most dangerous episodes of his career, the attepted rescue of IRA leader Sean MacEoin from Mountjoy Prison where he was facing trial by military court and an almost certain death sentence. The plan was to steal a British armoured car and use it to gain entry to the prison with one of the group impersonating a British officer. Because of his military background Dalton was seen as the ideal man to carry off the bluff. It was a dangerous, audacious plan and Dalton must have thought his chances of surviving such an operation rather slim. Although he succeeded in bluffing his way into the prison the attempted rescue did not succeed. However, it established an important, close bond of trust and friendship between Col- lins and Dalton, overcoming any reservations Collins may have had about Dalton's previous service with the British Army. Collins increasingly made use of Dalton's expertise and knowledge. While proving to be a demanding task master, Collins greatly appreciated Dalton's bravery and his talents as a military strategist and tactician. He thought so highly of Dal- by LIAM MURRAY MaJOr General eMMeT dalTOn From the Somme to Béal na Bláth A young Emmet Dalton

• Cover