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by SGT WAyNE FIzGERALD PHotoS COURTESy OF LIz GILLIS
T
he burning of the Custom
House on the 25th May
1921 was the largest and
most daring operation con-
ducted by the Irish Republican
Army during the Irish War
of Independence (1919-21).
Considered by some to be a
military failure, a new public
conference held on the 27th
May 2017 in the Custom House,
on Custom House Quay, has
not only questioned this per-
ception but has also enabled
those attending to look more
objectively at this major event.
Proceedings for the day com-
menced with Dublin Fire Bri-
gade's Chief Fire Officer, Patrick
Fleming, launching a new book,
May 25: Burning of the Cus-
tom House (see book reviews),
written by the renowned
historian Liz Gillis. Followed by
Gillis relating the story of the
operation and some of those
involved. Historian Las Fal-
lon in his talk 'The Fireman's
Tale' told of the Fire Brigades
involvement in the burning
of the building and the assis-
tance they provided to repub-
lican forces during and after
the event. Military historian,
author and regular contributor
to An Cosantóir, Paul O'Brien,
provided a military analysis of
the mission, detailing the plan-
ning, execution and outcome
of the operation. A lively Q&A
followed the morning session
before a break for lunch and
a tour of the Custom House
Visitor Centre was provided for
the attendees.
The afternoon session com-
menced with historian Seán
Hogan looking at fire as a
weapon of war, which was fol-
lowed by Mícheal Ó Doibhilín's
talk about the many civilians
that were caught in the cross-
fire between republican and
crown forces during the attack.
Comdt Stephen MacEoin, OIC
Military Archives rounded off
the series of lectures by taking
people through the many re-
sources relating to the Custom
House raid that are housed
in Military Archives at Cathal
Brugha Bks, Rathmines. The
day's events concluded with a
panel discussion and another
Q&A with all the speakers.
The conference succeeded
in its aims to promote public
awareness of the operation and
will, in the coming years, con-
tinue to relate the story of this
incredible military operation in
the centre of Dublin City.
The organisers have called
for papers to be submitted for
the conference in 2018, by 31st
December 2017 to conference.
papers@burningofthecustom-
house.ie
Pictured from L/R: Mícheal Ó Doibhilín, Comdt Stephen MacEoin, Paul
O'Brien, Las Fallon, Liz Gillis, CFO Patrick Fleming and Seán Hogan.
