Civilian John Patrick Hickey

Civilian John Patrick Hickey (aged 16 or 17) of 14 Pearse Street, Clonakilty (Pearse Street, Clonakilty)

Date of death: 6 Feb. 1922

Sources: Death Certificate (Clonakilty District, Union of Clonakilty), 6 Feb. 1922; Dáil Éireann Debates, Official Report, vol. 9 (1924), col. 1065; Application of Mary Hickey to Irish Grants Committee, 18 April 1928 (CO 762/16/7, TNA).

Note: According to the Irish Grants Committee application of his mother Mary Hickey, her only son John Patrick Hickey was brutally beaten by the ‘Black and Tans’ on 14 May 1921 at or near his home at 14 Pearse Street in Clonakilty. He is said to have lived ‘for some time after in a bad way’ but then to have died on an unspecified date. See Application of Mary Hickey to Irish Grants Committee, 18 April 1928 (CO 762/16/7, TNA). The victim’s death certificate indicates that as a result of his severe beating, he died on 6 February 1922 in the Clonakilty District Hospital of phthisis, toxemia, and exhaustion. See Death Certificate (Clonakilty District, Union of Clonakilty), 6 Feb. 1922. The victim was reportedly only 16 years old at the time of the beating and did not belong to the IRA. Mary Hickey had had two children—the victim and one daughter who had become a nurse. At the time of her 1928 application Mary Hickey had reportedly been a widow for over twenty years and now sought £600 in compensation. See Application of Mary Hickey to Irish Grants Committee, 18 April 1928 (CO 762/16/7, TNA). The Compensation (Personal Injuries) Commission had previously investigated her claim and recommended that no compensation be paid. See Dáil Éireann Debates, Official Report, vol. 9 (1924), col. 1065.