An Irish volunteer whose remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Cork Prison after he was executed by firing squad after the 1916 Rising will be given a state funeral tomorrow.
Thomas Kent was one of only two people executed outside Dublin after the Easter rebellion – Roger Casement was hanged at London’s Pentonville Prison in August 1916.
Kent, whose family had been involved in the Land War, was captured by British forces after a gun battle at his home in Bawnard, Castlelyons, that resulted in fatal injuries to an RIC officer and his brother Richard.
Another brother, William, was tried but acquitted while a fourth, David, was seriously injured and later stood trial for high treason, but his death sentence was commuted.
Kent was buried in the prison yard after his execution on May 9 and his whereabouts remained a mystery until they were discovered this summer by archaeologists from the Republic’s Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and identified using DNA by the State Pathologist’s Office.
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University College Cork historian Dr John Borgonovo yesterday said the execution of Kent and the Rising leaders in Dublin was the result of British "military men" being given the power to make "political decisions."
The First World War had seen hundreds of men summarily executed in the trenches and the British army’s "very strict and harsh reasoning" resulted in the speedy executions in Dublin and Cork.
However, the decision to use executions to "send a message to the general populace" backfired in Ireland, resulting in the "political situation being rapidly changed" and probably saving David Kent’s life.
Dr Borgonovo said he believed one of the reasons Kent’s story still appealed to the public was because of William’s revelation that their mother had helped her sons in the gun battle by loading weapons and voicing encouragement.
Kent’s remains will lie in state at Collins Barracks in Cork today with the public being allowed to pay their respects. They will be removed to St Nicholas’s Church in Castlelyons with full military accompaniment at midday tomorrow.
A solemn requiem mass will be celebrated by the Bishop of Cloyne William Crean with the dignitaries present to include President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who will deliver the graveside oration at the Kent family plot. The proceedings will be broadcast live on RTÉ 1 from 1.30pm.
