Maurice Crowe

Among the many brave men from West Tipperary to face the English foe in the fight for freedom, Maurice Crowe holds a high place of honour.
He was a highly intelligent young man with sound judgement and a clear vision of the new Ireland he wanted to establish. He was a close associate of Sean Treacy’s from their secondary school days.

Crowe was involved in the Gaelic League and with the IRB from the age of 16 years. With Treacy he shared a vision of a new Ireland that would emerge independent of Britain with its distinctive culture and national sovereignty, to take place with the nations of the world. Together they brought a dynamic energy, an imaginative approach and a more cohesive organisational structure to the local IRB movement.

With the formation of Irish Volunteers, though young by the standards of the time, Crow becomes an influential and respected member Sean Treacy. Their role was the IRB one; to influence first and control later all local organisations, Maurice Crowe was destined to play a key role in the formation of the Third Tipperary Brigade to experience jail, hunger strike, torture and life as a rebel pursued by the murder gangs of England.

His brain power clear judgement and bravery in the face of danger and death combined to make this high ranking IRA officer a man the enemy despised and feared. We will have great men again but few will be as good as Maurice Crowe.