While DD Sheehan was once editor of the Southern Star (1898-1901), his latter years were not kind to him, as depicted in this edited extract from Land War to Civil War 1900-1924: Donoughmore to Cork and Beyond by Gerard O’Rourke
WITH defeat in the 1914 local elections Daniel Desmond (DD) Sheehan although just over 40 years of age offered himself for war service when the 16th Irish division of the British army was
formed.
He organised, directed, and took absolute charge of three special recruiting campaigns in Cork and Limerick and succeeded ‘in bringing at least 5,000 recruits to the standard at a time when they were most needed’.
At one recruiting meeting in Bantry he told the attendance that he himself had ‘answered the call of conscience’ and in doing so ‘I did think of my country . . . I did think of my family . . . I did think of the people for whom I have laboured, and striven, and suffered’.
His three eldest sons also enlisted, and his eldest daughter served at the front as a VAD nurse. Tragedy came when his two eldest sons were killed in battle and his daughter was invalided. He, himself served in France as Company Commander during part of 1915 and 1916. His successful recruiting endeavours saw him return to Dublin before the Easter Rising and this led to open hostility with Sinn Fein.
Due to ill health, he retired from the army in January 1918 and was granted an honorary rank of captain. The consequences of his war time service made it impossible for him to return to Ireland when the war ended and as a result, he was unable to present himself for re-election for the 1918 plebiscite.
While in England he did contest for a seat in the 1918 general election as a Labour candidate but failed to get elected. Later he pointed out that he found it impossible to obtain suitable employment adding ‘no one wanted the services of a man of 50’.
In 1923 his position and that of his wife became so desperate (the health of his wife was completely shattered, and they were all in a state of actual starvation) that he was forced to issue an appeal for help.
He was given a temporary grant of £25 a month which expired in 1924.
He resided at Rockhurst, Victoria Road, Cork and asserted ‘when other leading and prominent nationalists in Ireland held back or were lukewarm, I boldly came forward and used all the power and prestige of my position to support the cause of the empire and to encourage nationalist Irishmen . . . to
join up.’
In a poignant reflection on his life Sheehan stated: ‘The death of my two sons, the loss of my wife, the break-up of my home, the ruin of my career, the destruction of everything in my life (home, happiness, sons, wife, social position, an assured income and a bright future) these are the things I have lost ; poverty, want, neglect, denial and bitterness of spirit these are what I have had to endure and am still enduring because of my allegiance to the government of the United
Kingdom’.
In submitting his claim, he further stated that he owed considerable sums in London and was ‘deeply in debt for loans given me to keep my family and myself from the workhouse, I am sad to say even still owing money in respect of my wife’s funeral expenses.’
