Osprey - Essential Histories 065 - The Anglo-Irish War 1913-1922

66 Essential Histories • The Anglo-Irish War
Pearse) Street, Neligan volunteered to
become a G-Man at the end of 1919 because
he was 'heartily tired of uniform and beat
duties'. Before the Troubles Neligan tells us
that G Division was difficult to get into, but
casualties had made it unpopular.
Whilst in uniform Neligan had been
amongst the party who had found the body
of DMP Detective Sergeant (DS) Daniel Hoey
after Collins' Squad had shot him outside
the Central Police Station in Brunswick
Street on 13 September 1919. Neligan also
knew another victim of the Squad, DMP
DS John Barton, killed by Sean Tracey on
29 November 1919. He probably even knew
DMP DS Patrick Smyth who was killed on
30 July 1919. Neligan is very matter of fact
about these killings but there is no evidence
to suggest that he was behind these deaths.
The men who probably were guilty of these
murders were three other G-Men: DS
Eamonn 'Ned' Broy, Detective Constable
(DC) James McNamara and DC Kavanagh,
who had worked for Collins since at least
1917. In fact, Broy even smuggled Collins
into the G Division archives in Brunswick
Street where he was able to assess just
how much the Castle knew about his
organization. Between them these men were
responsible not only for the deaths of a
number of British intelligence agents but
also for damaging the Castle's efforts to
contain the IRA.
Even after joining G Division Neligan
remained acquainted with several Sinn Féin
activists, including De Valera's secretary
Paddy Sheehan. How and why Neligan knew
Sheehan is never explained, but he does
mention that he recognized DS Hoey from a
Sinn Féin meeting without explaining why
he was there himself. His brother Maurice
was a Trade Union activist, and along with
Sheehan they convinced Neligan to resign
from the police, which he did on 11 May
1920. Before Neligan resigned he did make
an offer to Sheehan to work for the rebels,
but Sheehan declined to accept. When
Collins heard of this he was furious that the
opportunity to turn another G-Man had
been squandered, and not long after his
resignation Neligan was contacted by the
IRA and eventually met Collins in Dublin.
It was the beginning of an association that
would only come to an end when the IRA
shot Collins during the civil war. On Collins'
instructions Neligan made his way back to
the Castle and told his old boss, Detective
Chief Inspector (DCI) Bruton, that the IRA
had threatened to kill him. Neligan always
felt that Bruton did not really believe him,
but he was reassigned to G Division
nonetheless.
Neligan proved to be a valuable asset and
was soon passing Collins high-grade
intelligence. It was Neligan who told Collins
that an ex-RIC District Inspector and
Resident Magistrate, Alan Bell, was
investigating how the rebels were funding
their operations. Neligan betrayed Bell's
address, movements and security
arrangements and within days he was dead.
By 1921, G Division had been rendered
more or less ineffective against the IRA. Five
G-Men, including Assistant Commissioner
William Redmond, had been murdered and
at least four were IRA activists. Both RIC
Special Branch and the Secret Service knew
that something was wrong with G Division
and consequently placed little reliance upon
it. According to Neligan the division's
parlous state was simply a symptom of
a 'demoralized state practically finished'.
Despite his IRA activities no one suspected
Neligan of 'working for the enemy', and
much to Collins' delight he managed to
join the Secret Service in May 1921.
Neligan was extremely complimentary
about the Secret Service, whom he claimed
'sent some of their crack operators here. I
must say they were brave men who carried
their lives in their hands.' Despite obvious
admiration and a degree of empathy for
them he provided much of the information
that led to the mass killing of British agents
in Dublin on 21 November 1920, which is
perhaps a comment in itself about their
efficiency.
When the civil war broke out, Neligan
became a colonel in military intelligence
where he earned a fearsome reputation in Co.