Antoine Mac Giolla Bhrighde

The following oration was delivered by Frankie Quinn of the 1916 Societies at its commemoration of IRA Volunteer Antoine Mac Giolla Bhrighde on the 40th anniversary of his killing in an SAS ambush.

First of all, can we keep in our thoughts, our comrades in Palestine, who are suffering at the hands of right-wing zealots who are carrying out genocide on the people of Palestine.

Antoine was the eldest son of Frank and Nora MacGiolla Bhrighde. Ciarán was the youngest child of Maud and Paddy Fleming. Both staunch Republican families; they both would suffer at the hands of British death squads, at different stages of their lives.

Antoine was shot with his father in the 70s. Unfortunately Antoine’s father died because of this attack. He was hit 12 times by pro-British loyalists and died 17 months later. Antoine fortunately made a full recovery. This would not be the last time Antoine was at the receiving end of British bullets.

Antoine was highly intelligent and popular amongst the Republican community. Always dressed impeccably in his suit and tie. Politically aware and extremely active on the political front. He also travelled to Norway and other countries to promote the cause for Irish freedom as he understood that different tactics had to be applied at different stages in the struggle.

Ciarán faced the same discrimination and assaults from loyalists at his home in the Waterside in Derry. These attacks had a profound effect on both Volunteers we commemorate here today. Despite these serious incidents, none of these volunteers were sectarian but committed soldiers of the Irish revolution, to secure freedom for Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter, as stated in the 1916 Proclamation. Both these comrades would also face imprisonment. But did this deter them? No, it didn’t. Ciarán was the friendliest character you could ever meet. Any safehouse Ciaran was put in to stay, they wanted to keep him. A broad smile and welcoming look and extremely endearing to everyone he met. He loved to meet his mother in Bundoran of an odd Sunday for a rare family visit as he was one of the most wanted from the Long Kesh escape. After his wounding, he was moved from a house, on a hunch by one of his comrades and the guards hit the house the next morning, but he was gone with the morning mist, and he laughed heartily at this.

The harassment and intimidation these Volunteers faced on a daily basis, made them more committed, and they both joined the ranks of Óglaigh na hÉireann. Ciarán was sentenced to SOSP. For those that don’t know, this was a sentence with no end. He was only 16 years old. He had to stay in prison for as long as the Secretary of State wanted him to. A sentence so inhumane, it was condemned by the International Court of Human Rights. And guess what? Ciarán left early and was successful in the great escape from Long Kesh prison camp and went on the run.

Some of the escapees wanted to move to the cities and have fun, which is understandable. But Ciarán would have none of it. He wanted to become a full-time active service Volunteer, which he did. He became a full-time soldier with an Active Service Unit attached to the Fermanagh Brigade of the Irish Republican Army. Here, he would meet his comrade Antoine, who died on the same night on a courageous operation against the crown forces.

They were in the process of putting a 1000lb land mine in place, to attack the enemy in their armoured trucks. However, they were ambushed, and a gun battle ensued where one of the mercenary SAS soldiers was executed by IRA Volunteers, directly below him in the hedge. As Antoine walked down the road to draw the enemy away from other Volunteers, the Brit was shot in the neck, Anton held his hands up. They then interrogated Antoine and killed him unarmed, on Irish soil in his beloved Ireland, where they have no right, never had any right and never will have any right.

His comrade Ciarán, while making his escape, fell into the river. He was swept away and drowned. Ciarán hated deep water and couldn’t swim. The river was swollen, on a cold, foggy night on the 2nd of December 1984, and it took his life. He was armed with a pump action shotgun and 2 bandoleers of ammunition around him, which pulled him to the bottom of the Bannagh River. In full military uniform, he gave his young life for his people and his country. Right on the border of which, he was fighting to remove. Both these courageous Volunteers were involved in another shoot-out, two months before this, with the mercenary SAS, on the border about 20 miles from where they met their death. On the night in question, Ciarán was injured; he took a bullet to the leg. Antoine was one of the comrades who went back to pick up their comrade and making their escape under gunfire, as they returned fire with the old weapons they had. As they returned to base, they laughed and laughed because they were all accounted for and only one injury. The enemy suffered casualties this night also. It was reported the next day, on the news, as a fierce gun battle between a dozen IRA Volunteers, and a British army unit. There were four Volunteers on the operation. From those four, on the next operation, two of those Volunteers were killed on active service; Antoine and Ciarán and actually, this young man holding the flag here today, is named Anton Ciarán Quinn, after the Volunteers.

We are immensely proud of our fallen comrades. We shall never forget them, but more importantly, we will continue the struggle for the 32-county Socialist Republic for which they died. We ask everyone here today to join us in this struggle, to ensure we achieve that for which these comrades gave their lives.

We thank their families for allowing us to commemorate our comrades with them, here today and we assure them, we will continue to commemorate them, and we will do it with dignity and pride. Onwards to the Republic. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

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