As we approach the anniversary of 1916 and the flood of historical programmes on T na G and other channels I noticed the Dungannon Club Executive photograph was lacking the name of my great grandfather Willie John Nolan on the back left holding rolled up piece of paper. I showed this photograph to my 93yr old mother Bridget McCabe where she smiled and declared that is papa Nolan. Joe Nolan also confirmed this in his documents and his duchas oral history archive in the Falls Community Council. Therefore I decided to write this article and include a number of photographs from the Joe Nolan photographic archive to coincide with the 1916 celebrations and the anniversary of Sir Roger Casement.


Willie John Nolan (top left holding the rolled up paper)

 William John Nolan was the son of John Nolan a soldier of the 61^st Regiment stationed in the Curragh. John Nolan married Eileen Duggan in Armagh on the 4^th December 1872. Willie John Nolan was born on 2^nd November 1874.  His family history states that his father John Nolan was sent from the Carlow area by O’Donovan Rossa and John Devoy to assist in the Fenian organisation in the Armagh area. He was the ‘B Organiser’.  There were also members of the family who were involved in the Fenian circle and had come from older societies called ‘The Ribbon Men’. Willie John Nolan their son was to be enrolled in the Fenians at 12 years of age as a scout and messenger in 1886, where he learned early drilling and training on how to use weapons, and how to survive on the land by poaching and hunting.

In 1897 records show a discharge certificate of Willie John Nolan working passage to Canada on one of four occasions. One occasion is he jumped ship in Halifax going on the roads he worked in the company of Irish timber workers in Quebec lumberjacking. Here he was invested in a local Indian tribe and became a blood brother. Receiving word from Armagh he returned home for the 1798 centenary celebrations which were beginning to be organised in Belfast.

This is where he met and became friends with the antiquarian F.J. Biggar in approximately 1897. At this point Biggar was organising the centenary of the 1798 Irish Rebellion.  Willie John through this meeting met James Larkin, James Connolly and Cathal O’Byrne. Another visitor to FJ Biggar’s home Ard Righ on the Antrim road included Roger Casement.

During the period of 1907 Willie John joined the Transport and General Workers union after meeting Jim Larkin and James Connolly he was involved in a number of the Dock strikes in Belfast 1907. The Joe Nolan archive includes a rare photograph of a young James Larkin. A copy was recently donated to PRONI who confirmed it was a very rare photo. See photo below

 Jim Larkin with Bernard Tacker at the first AEU branch in Coventry

On the 3^rd of August 1966 Oliver Snoddy from the National Museum of Ireland confirms in a letter to Joe Nolan ( son of Willie John), that Bulmer Hobson remembered Willie John quite well and in fact says ‘that your father nearly called one of his sons Bulmer after me’.

Willie John Nolan was involved in the setting up of the Dungannon Club and was a member of the executive. (See the attached photo) This photo of the Dungannon club executive, where the first person from the left in the back row is Willie John Nolan. Other names in the photo mentioned by T na G in their history programmes of the Dungannon Club Executive members 1916, include Denis McCullough, Bulmer Hobson, Sean McDermott and Arthur Griffiths. Willie John called his friend “Ally” Arthur Griffiths.

The Dungannon club was set up by the Irish Republican Brotherhood and formed a number of GAA clubs in Belfast. It’s real aim was the development of the Irish Volunteers and it’s links to the Irish Citizen volunteers formed by James Connolly Pre 1914. DeValera and Michael Collins were to visit Belfast with the support of the Dungannon Club and the volunteers. Some of the volunteers are in the attached GAA 1916 photographs. Brian and Paddy Nolan both sons of  Willie John were in the O’Donovan Rossa GAA club along with Joe McKelvey. 

Paddy Nolan and Brian Nolan are seated front row 1^st and 2^nd left.

During his visits to Canada, Willie John received a letter from Armagh to return home along with three other people. They were told to go to a meeting in County Down and were then told that they were to be Fenian members of the honour guard at the funeral of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa (Head of the Fenians and Irish Republican Brotherhood)  1^st August 1915. Padraig Pearse gave the oration at the graveside.

In the “Up the Falls Magazine” printed by the Falls Community Council history project, pages 16 – 20 includes a printed account by Rory Haskins IRB and describes the activities leading up to 1916. The original handwritten document dictated by Rory Haskins and written down by his friend Willie John Nolan is in the National Museum in Dublin. In the same magazine Page 21 – 24 Liam Sean Ua Nullain (Willie John Nolan) gives a narrative of the Dungannon Club and his time living in the No 3 Willow Bank Officers quarters. . For more detailed information on this period a handwritten diary by Willie John Nolan tells the story ‘The Birthplace of the Belfast Irish Volunteers’. This also details the Coalisland Muster of which Willie John took park along with his two Fianna sons Brian and Paddy Nolan who carried the flags. One of the flags was the rising sun and the other was the tricolour.

A part of the green hoist colour of the Tricolour used at the Coalisland Muster has survived and was donated by the Nolan Family to the National Museum of Ireland. After the Coalisland Muster Wille John’s main duties were to operate a reception centre, a processing centre for information. He was a postbox for Collins’s information. His wife and sons were the runners.

In 1953 Willie John and his son Joe Nolan accompanied Leo Wilson (see photograph) to the inauguration of the opening of the grave for Sir Roger Casement at Murlough Bay. De Valera attended and made a speech. In one of the photos De Valera is inspecting the guard of honour which includes Willie John Nolan in the photo. See the accompanying photos. 

Willie John Nolan, Leo Wilson and Joe Nolan at Murlough Bay 1953

Willie John 2^nd from the right smiling at De Valera 1/08/1953 at Sir Roger Casement grave site Murlough Bay Antrim. This was where Sir Roger Casement wished to be buried. However he currently is buried in Glasnevin Cemetary Dublin against his last dying wish. The last 1916 leader whose wishes in respect of their burial have still not been honoured.

Willie John 2^nd on the left head bowed at Fair Head Murlough Bay 1953 at Sir Roger Casement grave site Murlough Bay Antrim.

In 1956 the Northern Divisions of the veterans Belfast Brigade 1921 were to march in Monaghan see photographs which include Willie John and his friends.

As you read the timeline of Willie John Nolan he was a very private person involved in a myriad secretive and uniformed statutory organisations including the Fenians, The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), Irish Volunteers (pre 1914), Irish citizen army, Formation of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) up to 1922, the Headline Steamship Company. Finishing his years with working in Harland and Wolff including the Titanic and other ships during the war periods.

Willie John Nolan received a pension from the Irish Government until his death in 1958. He received a medal for his service in the 1916 – 1923 F Company Irish Volunteers, B Company 3^rd Northern division of Oglaigh na heireann under his Irish translation of Liam Sean ua Nuallain. On his death Joe Nolan (son of Willie John) regretted in his notes that he did not give his father a republican funeral.

Throughout his history Willie John faced unimaginable tragedy and buried his son Brian Nolan aged 19yr in 1924, his daughter Bridget Nolan aged 21yrs in 1925, other son Miles Nolan aged 18yrs in 1926, his wife Christina Nolan age 63yrs in 1940,and his son Donal Nolan aged 42yrs in 1951. He was survived ownly by his son Paddy Nolan my Grandfather who died in 1963 and finally Joe Nolan his son who died in 2005.

Joe Nolan was a poet, creative writer, active historian including the first person to document the troubles in his archive held in the National Museum in Dublin.  Archives created by Joe Nolan are in 4 different museums namely The National Museum of Ireland, The Maritime museum in Dun Laoghire, Kilmainham Gaol and Now PRONI offices in Belfast. Willie John Nolan died on 24^th March 1958. 

Willie John Nolan at Murlough Bay 1953 wearing his ribbon, tan medal and Connolly badge. His Connolly badge is in the National Museum in Dublin.

Willie John Nolan 4th from the left with his friends from the 4th Northern Division

They say a picture can tell a thousand words. However the Dungannon Club Executive photograph of Willie John top left holding a rolled up piece of paper hides a lot of many other secrets and stories. This shortened version is in memory of the Nolan family of 39 Beechmount Parade and formerly Willowbank Huts. A fenian circle member, Irish Republican Brotherhood member and 1914 volunteer and an Irish Republican buried in Milltown cemetary. 

Obitury notices in the for the death of Willie John Nolan 24th March 1958