The full and interesting life of Michael Keogh, Irish Brigade

Morlar

I found this story and thought it might be interesting to some here.

http://www.irishbrigade.eu/recruits/kehoe-michael.html

If even only a portion of this is true it's a very interesting life this man had.

Here is a brief synopsis if you do not have time to read the article in full :

• Gaelic League Tullow 1906
  
• Clan-na-Gael in New York
  
• US 69th Regiment National Guard
  
• Huerlo insurection in Mexico
  
• Panama Canal construction
  
• 1913 enlisted in the Royal Irish Regiment
  
• Obtained a first class pass in the Army Educational Cetificate
  
• 1914 court-martial and convicted for "sedition" and sentenced to 28 days in the cells

"claims to have been on intellegence duty for the IRA during the Howth gun running in Dublin"

• Aug 1914 - France WWI service Mons- captured
  
• recruiting for Roger Casement Irish Brigade
  
• 1915 Oslo (?)
  
• 1915 Berlin (?)
  
• 1916 Runs the Irish brigade
  
• South of Danzig commands 30 Irish Brigade
  
• Machine gunner 16th Bavarian Regt
  
• 1918 working at Flying Corps Aerodrome
  
• Allegedly met Hitler 1st time (in 16th Bavarian reserve Regt)
  
• June 1918 Advance to within 56k of Paris
  
• July 1918 'War Flu' Belgium
  
• Danzig Courts martial for desertion - to berlin
  
• Given assumed name and free rail pass on German surrender.
  
• Joins Freikorps in 3rd Bavarian army corps 25 Nov to Sept 1919 under name of Kurt Schwarz.
  
• Possible involvement with defeat of Bavaraian Soviet Republic 1919
• Marries Annamarie Von Seuffert 1919 Nurmberg

"Kurt Eisner, the first prime minister of the Bavarian Republic, was assassinated on the same day, 21 February 1919 in Munich, shortly before he was going to hand in his own resignation from office. I have no reason to suppose that the events were connected. Keogh was bitter towards Eisner, from whom he expected help, but got none. Eisner's death triggered the establishment of the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic. Keogh hints that a member of the Irish Brigade may have been part of the group that shot Eisner, but does not give enough details to substantiate the facts."

"1919 April 27. Keogh writes that he fought his way into Munich after 3 days bitter fighting with his machine gun crew in Freikorps Epp. Keogh actually puts the date at Jan 20 in one of his much later newspaper articles, but it had to be the fighting that took place in the 3 days from 27 April. Epp had been given with command of the infantry stationed in Bavaria. Epp's adjutant was Ernst Rohm, and Keogh knew Rohm, and in fact Rohn later presented Keogh with a Siegfried Dagger of Honour. These daggers had the blade etched with “Meine Ehre heist Treue” (My Honour is Loyalty), the reverse with maker’s logo. Black wooden grip inlaid with silvered eagle and enamelled circular SS device. They seem to date from about early 1930s, so one assumes he got his gift from Rohm at that date in Berlin."

"Over 30,000 Freikorps men stormed the city. The communists outer ranks were quickly overrun. Parts of the city came under artillery fire and there was vicious fighting. Flame throwers were used in house to house fighting. The Free Corps soldiers were in a state of fury because Russians, who had been defeated on the battlefields of Russia, were now operating in Bavaria. The unit of Russian war prisoners were rounded up and slaughtered in a stone quarry. "


"When the Free Corps were fighting their way into Munich, they had been greeted by gun shots from the Turken Strasse barracks where Hitler was quartered. Only a few shots had been fired by a few Red sympathizers who hoped to draw the barracks into the fray, but the anger of the Free Corps troops had been aroused. The "neutrality" of the regular army detachments in Munich during the political crises did not fare well with the Free Corps and they distrusted the Munich garrison. The short tempered troops stormed the Turken Strasse barracks. Everyone in it, including Hitler, was arrested and marched through the streets, hands above their heads, and imprisoned at a local high school.

The officers of Hitler's regiment, who had been forced to flee Munich during the Soviet period, returned with the Free Corps and were soon in control of the city. An investigation was started to determine who had sided with the Reds. When they began to investigate the incident that occurred at Hitler's barracks, some officers recognized Hitler, testified to his character and war record, and ordered his release. Hitler's unwavering hostility to Marxism and his cooperation with the Commission soon placed him above reproach. This was the same Turken Strasse barracks that Michael Keogh met Hitler a few weeks later

Rohm, a career staff officer during the First World War, was later murdered by Hitler's orders in 1934. Roehm played an active part in Adolf Hitler's life from March 1919 onwards. Roehm was present in October 1919, when Hitler delivered his first public speech as a `politician' at a DAP rally in Munich's Hofbraukeller. Rohm and Epp had resources at their disposal that greatly augmented the influence of Hitler the politician, whose assets had hitherto been limited to his charisma as an orator and actor.

"

• Returns to Ireland 1920

"In Dublin he writes that he met Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith and Erskine Childers.His meeting with Collins was at the Spa Hotel, Lucan and was in order to work out plans for running guns from Germany to Ireland."

• Battle of Mount Leinster IRA V Black and Tans
  
• Germany 1921 to 1922
  
• He worked in Germany from about 1928 to 1936 - joins Stahlhelm.

"1934 May He writes an angry letter to Goebals after a Hitler Youth gang attacks a Catholic Scout Camp where his son Roger was staying."

""1934 Jun 30. Keogh believes he missed death by 20 minutes during the "Night of the Long Knives". "

"1936 Sep 8. Michael Keogh returned to Ireland, apparently upon De Valera's request."

"Michael Keogh died in Sept 1964"



I would highly recommend the site it originates from

http://www.irishbrigade.eu

Denerick

"claims to have been on intellegence duty for the IRA during the Howth gun running in Dublin"

I doubt it. The IRA didn't exist during the Howth gun running.

/pedantry.

Morlar

Denerick wrote: »

I doubt it. The IRA didn't exist during the Howth gun running.

/pedantry.

Pfft - spoilsport !!

I'd guess some of it may be down to a 'larger than life' kind of character and probably hard to verify. Still though - the guy got around.

Dubhghaill

Denerick wrote: »

I doubt it. The IRA didn't exist during the Howth gun running.

/pedantry.

Not everything written about Michael McKeogh on the internet correlates with the actual book/what he wrote himself. The first newspaper that went with the story printed false information about the Georges Cross that also isn't in the book and none of the other newspapers bothered to read the book/research either. Anything that IS published in With Casement's Irish Brigade has been crosschecked by historians. Theres also photographs/letters and other primary evidence.

premierlass

Someone calls shenanigans on the story.

I doubt it. The IRA didn't exist during the Howth gun running.

/pedantry.

There wasn't any "intelligence duty" assigned, but he could have been a scout, run despatches etc. However, he would have had to have been an active member of the Irish Volunteers or Fianna Éireann. That's highly unlikely if he was a member of the British army.