Drumree teenager one of youngest to die in 1916 Rising

James Fox struck by gunfire in St Stephen's Green

James Fox from Drumree was one of the youngest combatants to die during the Easter Rising of 1916 when struck by gunfire at St Stephen’s Green on Tuesday 25th April. He was born in 1900, the second child of Pat and Margaret Fox, and lived in Drumree until 1912 or 1913. The Fox family had lived in the area for some time and Pat was the proprietor of the Spencer Arms public house, now Gilsenan’s, located beside Drumree railway station on the Dublin to Navan line.

James had two sisters, Constance, always known as Connie, who was a year older than him, Mary, usually called Mollie, born in 1910 and a brother, Thomas, born in 1902. Their mother was Margaret Collins, a native of Liverpool, whom it is said, Pat met on the hunting fields.

Outside of his public house and hotel business Pat Fox was very involved in politics and sport, playing football with Dunshaughlin St Seachnall’s and captaining of Warrenstown, and later, Drumree, in the 1890s. It seems that he was also on the first ever Meath team when they lined out against Louth near Drogheda in 1889. When the GAA was practically dead in the county during much of the 1890s he regularly played cricket with Drumree. He also refereed boxing matches in the county. During one of those in 1910 he took part in a sparring exhibition with his young son James during the interval between bouts, which the press reported ‘evoked hearty applause.’

Fox was a staunch supporter of the Irish Parliamentary Party leader Charles Stewart Parnell and after the country split into pro and anti Parnellite factions he remained a loyal follower. In later years he attended the annual Ivy Day ceremony to mark Parnell’s death and was one of only ten men who attended Parnell’s funeral in 1891 and the annual commemoration 49 years later in 1940.

James went to Culmullen National School between 1905 and 1908 but in September 1908 transferred to Dunshaughlin Boys’ National School, while his sister Connie enrolled in the Girls’ school. In 1911 when the family moved to Woodtown, James returned to Culmullen National School, nearer his new home.

By then it seems the family business was in financial difficulty. Pat Fox himself in later life claimed that he fell on hard times due to his support for what he called ‘the national cause’. By January 1912, the licence of the Spencer Arms Hotel was transferred to a Joseph Langan, the family moved to Woodtown for a short while and soon afterwards left the area.

Dublin and Liverpool

The family must have been in poor circumstances for Pat and his sons James and Thomas moved to Dublin while his wife Margaret returned to her native Liverpool along with the girls. Pat Fox continued his interest in politics, joining James Connolly’s Irish Citizen Army. Connolly set up the organisation to protect striking workers from the police during the Lockout of 1913. By 1914, Pat Fox was a member of the first Army Council of the Citizens’ Army.

It was hard to find work for young James too. This is seen in a letter from his father to his old friend PJ Murray in Dunshaughlin, when he sought work for the young lad.

James eventually got employment as a shop assistant in a branch of the Maypole Dairy in Dublin. Given his father’s views it was natural that James himself would become involved in nationalist organisations. He joined Fianna Éireann, a youth group for nationalist minded boys, founded by Countess Markievicz and Bulmer Hobson.

When the Rising was about to begin on Easter Monday, 24th April 1916, Pat Fox turned up at Liberty Hall. Frank Robbins, a member of the Irish Citizens’ Army, described what happened: “I was making for the ranks when Pat Fox caught my eye. He drew a youth about 19 years towards me saying, ‘This is my lad; take him with you for the Irish Citizen Army. I am too old for the job’.

“My reply was: ‘Right you are, Pat. Goodbye.’ Little did I know that in less than 20 hours this youth was to breathe his last in this life in the cause of Ireland’s freedom. Young Fox was handed over to Commandant Mallin before I took up my allotted position.”

Michael Mallin, whom Pat Fox knew, was the man in charge of the group that was to take St Stephen’s Green. Of course Robbins was mistaken in thinking the youth was 19, he was in fact just 16 years old. St Stephen’s Green was a difficult location to defend as high buildings surrounded the park on all sides. Mallin’s second in command was Countess Markievicz. Once inside the park the volunteers started digging trenches and fox holes so that they could get below ground level.

James Fox and James O Shea, an Irish Citizens’ Army man from Dublin, dug a trench looking out towards Dawson Street. Early in the morning, probably before dawn, O’Shea sent James Fox back to the centre of the Green and soon after British machine gun fire from the Shelbourne Hotel and other buildings raked the Green from left to right and back again, hitting the railings and the grass. As the bullets ripped into the Green everyone in the park was pinned down, and, to run for better cover was to risk death. However, James did seek better cover and ran towards the railings. As he did he was hit a number of times and a bullet to the head killed him instantaneously. Soon after Michael Mallin withdrew his forces from the Green and took over the Royal College of Surgeons building where they remained for the rest of the week until the order to surrender came from Patrick Pearse in the GPO.

Sometime after his death James was taken to Mercer’s Hospital, near where he died. His death wasn’t registered until 17th May and his body was eventually returned to Drumree for burial. There is no account in any of the local newspapers of the funeral but the coffin probably travelled by rail to Drumree and local tradition says that members of the Lynch and other local families met the body and the Fox family at Drumree station. James was buried in Knockmark Cemetery but his resting place was unmarked until 1935 when the IRA Memorials’ Committee erected an imposing headstone in his memory. It was unveiled on 19th May following a parade from Dunshaughlin.

Frank Robbins recalled meeting Pat Fox some time after the Rising and he remembered their conversation as follows: "I wondered what his father would have to say to me if we ever met again. We did meet again many months afterwards when he greeted me with tears in his eyes and a warm handclasp saying, ‘My poor boy, my poor boy.’

The only reply I could make was ‘Don’t worry, Pat, he died bravely.’

The old man brightened up very much with these few words of consolation."

On Easter Sunday 2016 James Fox’s role in the 1916 Rising was remembered with Mass in Culmullen, the launch of a booklet on his life and the unveiling of a stone naming the bridge over the M3 Motorway at Readsland, the James Fox Bridge, Droichead Shéamus Mhic and tSionnaigh.

The commemoration event, organised by Dunshaughlin and District Historical Society, began with Mass in memory of James Fox, in St Martin’s Church, Culmullen, celebrated by Fr Joe Clavin.

Cathy Fox, a relative of James, took part in the liturgy, with Nicholas Molloy. Prayers of the faithful were read by Katie Kelly and Emma Louise Ryan of St Seachnall’s NS, and Katelyn Kelly, Gaelscoil na Rithe. Taking part in the Offertory were Geraldine Boyle, Cathy Fox, Mary O’Donnell and Michael Delany. Soloist Stephanie Kilrane performed ‘The Cuallan’.

Afterwards, in Culmullen Hall, a booklet on the life of James Fox by Jim Gilligan was launched. Frank Daly, chairman of the Dunshaughlin and District Historical Society was MC at the naming of the James Fox Bridge at Readsland, on the Dunsany Road, and the unveiling of a stone by Brian and Cathy Fox, relatives of James, who travelled from Liverpool. Fr Clavin blessed the stone, and Tola Collier, a member of the Ashbourne 1916 Reenactment Group, read the Proclamation. Dunsany man Paddy Allen sang ‘The Foggy Dew’.

There followed a parade from Gilsenan’s Public House, the former Fox establishment, to the burial place in Knockmark Cemetery, led by Peter Mooney and Ralph Lynch, bearing the Tricolour.

Taking part were the Irish National Foresters Brass Band, Navan and the Ashbourne 1916 Reenactment Group, and flags carried included those of the Irish Citizens Army, Na Fianna, the Hibernian flag, Meath, Drumree GAA, Dunshaughlin GAA, Culmullen NS , St Seachnall’s NS, and Dunshaughlin AC. Johnny Lynch was MC in Knockmark, and a wreath was laid by Brian and Cathy Foix, before a minute’s silence was observed.

Francis Ledwidge’s ‘Lament for Thomas McDonagh’ was read by Roisin de Blacam, and the Last Post was sounded by bugler Sean Lynch, followed by a rendition of Amhran na bhFiann.