Thread by @irelandbattles

We thought we’d outline why we wrote a book about six IRA men killed on the Sligo mountains…
This year, we carried out the first ever archaeological excavation of a Civil War site – the Glencar Hideout – a cave that sheltered up to 34 IRA in Sept./Oct. 1922
(thread)

We were delighted to discover the names of people hiding in the cave. As archaeologists, we typically examine the remains of human activity, the things they left behind (‘material culture’). It’s very rare to know the actual names of people that used/lived at a particular site.

Marion and Robert - the Cave Archaeologists - directed the excavation. James set out the excavation grid and began researching biographies of the known IRA men that hid out in the cave and the women that provided their support network in the local area.

As James carried out the biographical and historical research, the team became aware of Sligo’s Noble Six – six IRA men that were also heading to the cave hideout, but were killed by the National Army before they could make it. Some locals call the hideout ‘The Noble Six Cave’.

Keenly aware that previously published data on the Noble Six was limited to the manner in which they died, we decided to add a biography chapter of #TheSix to our forthcoming excavation book. James began assembling biographical details about each of #TheSix

Then he got COVID...

10 days of self-isolation can be wonderful for research (providing you don’t feel ill). James spent his isolation period analysing data from Census / birth/marriage/death records, Bureau of Military History, newspapers, radical papers and any other online resources he could find.

After 10 days, James emerged with a 140,000 word ‘chapter’ on the Noble Six, which included fascinating details of the lives they lived, how their family mourned them through memorial verses, and the wider reaction that was captured in poetry and song.

James' ‘chapter’ slightly outweighed the rest of our book on the archaeological excavation! We realised that there was an opportunity to write a book specifically about the Noble Six. We spoke to their families & captured as much information as we could. The result was ‘The Six’.

We worked (extremely hard) to publish #TheSix in time for the 100th Anniversary of the deaths of Sligo's Noble Six on the 20th September 2022. In fact, we had our book launch on that day, joined by the families of the Noble Six.