An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 9 by COY SGT RETIRED HARRY MULHERN PhotoS SGT KARL BYRNE, PR BRANCH The PORTRAiT OF A sOldieR B rig Gen Richard 'Dick' McKee (4 April 1893 – 21 November 1920) had joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913. he served in G Coy, 2nd bn of the Dublin brigade during the 1916 Easter Rising and was later incarcerated by Crown Forces in Knutsford gaol and at the Frongoch internment camp in Wales. he was later killed along with Peadar Clancy and Conor Clune in Dublin Castle on Sunday 21st November 1920, a day known as bloody Sunday. his portrait hangs on the wall of the NCos Mess, McKee bks Dublin, this is the story of its finding by the then Mess President Coy Sgt retired harry Mulhern. In 1985 the Camp Commandant McKee Bks Lt Col JJ Costello, tasked me to fit out the old canteen building as an NCOs mess, our existing mess was to be handed over as a men's mess and canteen. The building had been extensively refurbished, with a new roof and other structural improvements, but without light fittings, decoration, carpets or furniture - at the time the Canteen Board did not have the financial resources required to finish the job. This move was to cost many thousands in punts, together with the loss of many tens of thousands of punts already invested in the old mess, so not every NCO was happy with the move for those reasons. However, I was happy enough and went about convincing the other NCOs of the new buildings potential. I had a survey of light fittings arranged and subsequently had the main downstairs rooms fitted out tastefully. A carpet (shaped like a fifty-pence piece) for the main foyer was purchased from Clerys of O'Connell St, costing over £3,000. A new bar and a floor-safe were installed, along with many other fittings. The Quartermaster General gave us two obsolete howitzers, from Depot Artillery Corps and placed in front of the new mess. During the course of preparation of the new mess, military archivist Comdt Wally Young advised me of the availability of a painting of Brig Gen Dick McKee, which had come to the attention of the national archives and had been authenticated. I went to see the painting with Sgt Tony White from 2 Gar S&T Coy, at the house of the owner, who was an elderly man who lived at Camden Court - in conditions I could only describe as squalor. We had to trawl through all sorts up an old stairway to view the painting, which was covered with a dirty blanket. On our return to barracks we had to wash down, such was the extent of the squalor - Tony and I remember that trip every time we visit the NCOs Mess and gaze up at the picture. With the approval of the mess body and the permission of the Camp Commandant, we purchased the painting for £1,000 - a lot of money at that time. The painting was cleaned and I purchased a new, more suitable frame for it. The painting was delivered to me on the morning of the official opening of the new mess by the Chief of Staff Lt Gen Gerry O'Sullivan. Earlier that day Lt Col JJ Costello and Brig Gen Vincent Savino (GOC East) had inspected the mess without the painting and were pleasantly surprised to see it hanging there just one hour later. Sometime after the opening of the new mess, I arranged for an acquaintance, Ms Eileen Kane, a lecturer in the history of art at UCD, to view the painting, which was signed 'McBride'. She made some enquiries and found an artist of that name listed in Belfast at the time of painting, although it was never established whether he was the actual artist. The painting has hung in pride of place for the last 30-years for all to view, should the NCOs Mess move to another loca- tion or from McKee Bks, I hope the mess members bring it with them and that the painting and its story be remembered by following generations. Pictured is the NCOs Mess in McKee Bks, which was formally Marlborough Bks. This photograph is by Robert French, circa 1865-1914. © The National Library of Ireland A commemorative plaque in memory of the three Irish Volunteers killed on 21st November 1920, was erected by the National Graves Association above the door of the guard room at Dublin Castle. Photo: Creative Commons

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