Jerome Davin

Jerome Davin was born in 1896 at his family home Rathsallagh house, Rathsallagh, Fethard. The house and the farm on which had been in the Davin family since the eighteenth century.

The Davin family had been of a nationalist leaning for generations. Jerome’s father and uncles had been members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood since its inception in Tipperary. They had also played a prominent part in the Land League in the 1870,sl‘80,s and had been arrested, tried, and acquitted for an attack on a bailiff during an eviction in the locality 1879 during the Land War.
The Family was also closely related to the Davins of Deerpark, Garrick on Suir one of whom Maurice was a great sportsman and one of the founders of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Thurles in 1884.

Jerome and indeed his siblings (four out of five brothers and his four sisters) were all steeped in nationalist traditions and when a branch of the Volunteers was founded in Rosegreen in 1914 there was no question but that Jerome would play a leading role.

The Volunteers were originally set up by James O‘Brien, from Galbally who was farming some land in nearby Tullmaine, O‘Brien was the first Captain of the company but after some time O‘Brien ceased farming in Tullmaine and left the district. At this time Jerome tells us in his Witness Statement No. 1,350 there were 28 members of the company.

When Easter Sunday 1916 came Jerome paraded the entire company in Rosegreen. They had a small supply of arms, some revolvers, shotguns, and some Sneider rifles. They patrolled the road between Clerihan and Rosegreen. Paddy Aheme held up a van belonging to the British Army and some officers within it.

But little else happened, as they had no orders. Later attempts to contact Pierce McCan or Frank Drohen of Clonmel proved fruitless. Ultimately the company retired and no further action was taken that week. James O‘Brien left the area shortly after this and Jerome assumed command.

During the weeks, which followed, the British authorities engage in a series of roundups of suspects connected with separatist sentiment and interned them in England. None of the Rosegreen group was arrested and they remained intact. They were able to continue training and other activities without hindrance. The Royal Irish Constabulary did however keep a close eye on their activities, so they began more covert actions, to try and thwart them.

In 1917 there began a reorganisation of the structures of the Volunteers and Jerome was sworn into the I.R.B. by Paddy Hogan of Cashel. For the remainder of the War of Independence Jerome and his family offered cover to those who were fighting for freedom, and indeed the headquarters of the
Third Tipperary Brigade was to operate from a dug-out nicknamed ‘71‘hidden on the Davin farm at Rathsallagh.