Sean Phelan's grave at the Republican plot, St Finbarr's cemetery, Cork
Vol. Sean Phelan Staff Captain. 3rd West Cork Brigade Óglaigh na hÉireann
Volunteer Sean Phelan, of the Irish Volunteers (Óglaigh na hÉireann) was born in 1900 in Evelyn Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool. He was killed in action in what is known as The Upton Ambush on the 15th February 1921 along with two comrades of the 3rd West Cork Brigade. This event is immortalised in the famous rebel song 'The Lonely Woods of Upton' . The city of Liverpool, and in particular the Kirkdale / Scottie Road area, has always had a very strong connection to Ireland. A sizeable proportion of Liverpool's population is of Irish descent, and we owe much of our unique cultural identity and rebel spirit to our Irish heritage. In the early years of the 20th century, as Ireland intensified its fight for freedom from British rule, there was great support in Liverpool for that struggle. A number of Volunteers from Liverpool went over to Dublin in 1916 to take part in the Easter Rising. By 1921, a fierce guerrilla war was underway in Ireland against British occupation forces, including the notorious Auxiliaries and Black and Tans. The recent award-winning film ''The Wind That Shakes the Barley'' highlighted this period in Irish history, and in particular the struggle in the West Cork area of Ireland. Sean Phelan, a Liverpool Irishman, went over to Cork and joined the Irish resistance forces there. Sadly, after 1921, Ireland was forcibly partitioned, and the struggle against British occupation, and to overcome the false divisions imposed by its sectarian 'divide and rule' tactics, has continued through different phases up to the present day. In 2008, almost 90 years after Sean Phelan was killed in action, Ireland stands on the threshold of achieving full national independence, reunification and a peaceful shared future for all its citizens, of all faiths and traditions. It is therefore fitting that we, the Liverpool Irish, should honour the memory of one of our own who made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of Irish freedom
- Home
- James Larkin
- I nDíl Chuimhne
  - Sean Phelan
    - Upton Ambush
    - lonely woods of upton
  - Piaras Béaslaí
  - Frank Deegan
  - Kathleen Clarke