Just want to thank the Irish News for their brilliant article on Willie John Nolan and the Joe Nolan archive. 

This is an article printed in the Up the Falls Magazine part 2 and contains a narrative from Liam Sean Ua Nullain (Willie John Nolan). The original handwritten article is held in the Joe Nolan archives in the National Museum in Dublin.

 Very early original photograph of Willowbank Officers Quarters and later home to residents

 Willowbank Cottages taken from Belfast Telegraph 1927 article and Joe Nolan's personal notes

The 1916 halfpenny and 1918 penny belonged to Donal Nolan son of Willie John Nolan and was found in his wallet with a collection of photos from his friends in Willowbank. It's significant that he carried them until his death in the 1950's. The Fainne belonged to his brother Brian Nolan who died in 1925 in Willowbank. Brian Nolan played hurling for O'dDonovan Rossa along with his brother Patrick Sarsfield Nolan. The Fainne is an original 1911 Fainne one of the first Fainne produced. Donal Nolan around 1914 worked making wooden rifles as a boy for the IRB. These were used to train the Irish Volunteers in Willowbank in Stephen's Hut. 

In 1936 he continued to develop his skill at making wooden rifles and in 1936 he made a Lee Enfield type rifle. It was used in the St Paul's pantomime by the Palace Guard Panto "Queen of Hearts". 

It was also in a Sean Dynan play about the IRA in St Mary's Hall in the late 1940s to 1947. The wooden rifle has now been donated and is in safe keeping in Kilmainham Gaol museum donated by the Joe Nolan archives. See below receipt to Joe Nolan archive.

Padraig Pearse reads the proclamation

50th Anniversary Postcards - The Asguard

Just bought the Irish News today page 12. Muralist to pay tribute to Belfast based IRB volunteer. A good article however, the Irish News and Andersonstown News were given the article on Willie John Nolan and for reasons unknown chose not print the story of a Belfast member of the Dungannon Club Executive. The history of Willie John Nolan was documented and held in the National Museum in Dublin and also in the Up the Falls magazine written for the Falls Community Council. In addition to the article on my great great grandfather was a handwritten copy of Rory Haskins memoir dictated to Willie John Nolan. Both handwritten accounts are held in the archives in the National Museum of Dublin, we hold a photocopy of the original documents and will upload them to this blog.

We are resending the articles and information related to Willie John Nolan to the Irish News. You never know maybe this blog will help them to reconsider. 

Willie John Nolan is back row first left holding the rolled up paper

The photograph of the Dungannon Club Executive in which Willie John Nolan is featured would look as a fitting tribute to the 1916 volunteers throughout Ireland if this was recreated on the International Wall. This photograph was prominently displayed in the PRONI office lectures and on TNaG when recreating historical programmes on leading figures involved in the 1916 uprising. I also include a letter from 1966 which clearly states that Joe Nolan son of Willie John Nolan was the first person to donate information on the Dungannon Club Executive and was the founding historian on the history of the troubles. Watch this space!!!!

Letter taken from the Joe Nolan archive

Photograph of Joe Nolan wearing Willie John Nolan's volunteer hat in 1968 on Rathlin Island. Photo taken from the Joe Nolan archive.

 Front page story of the Irish News Jan 1995 on disputed first historical archive of the troubles

Confirmation from Padraig O Snodaigh from the National Museum Dublin confirming Joe as the first historian of the troubles which began in 1966

I'd like to thank the Irish News for this article. It highlights the forgotten families of the Rising across Ireland. This blog was set up for the very reasons mentioned in the article. As some families participation in the Rising was not documented and therefore needs further investigation. Due to the border campaign in the North, many northerners were not interviewed. This has resulted in gaps in the recording of history especially in the North!

Willie John Nolan did receive a pension and a medal however his sons Brian (deceased) and Paddy Nolan were not included. Paddy's wife Catherine Nolan wrote in 1966 to apply for a medal but this was denied due to him being out of the country at the recognised 3 months period. However it does not tell the full story of Paddy Nolan who had been on the run on a number of occasions. 

Photograph of Paddy Nolan taken at Officers Quarters Willowbank. Picture taken from the Joe Nolan archives.

This is the handwritten details of the armoured car used at the funeral of the McMahon murders 24th March 1922 photo passing Broadway/ St Paul's church Falls Road. 

This early and very rare photograph was taken and developed by Brian Nolan, son of Willie John Nolan under extreme circumstances. It was developed in No 3 Willowbank Huts his home close to the Dunngannon clubrooms. There is a large collection of Willowbank negatives in the Joe Nolan archives which are slowly being released.

This is an official photograph of the same armoured car, taken from the Belfast Telegraph sourced from Jonathon Barden's book. 

This photo is sourced from Jonathon Barden's book.

This is a photo of Willie John Nolan marching in the Easter parade in the 40's/ 50's in Belfast. Taken from the Joe Nolan archives.

Old IRA photograph from Joe Nolan archive 1918

Old IRA Special Group number 2 section 1918 taken from Joe Nolan photo archive

Does anyone know the names of these local volunteers?

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