A RADIO documentary has revealed that the first RUC man killed by the IRA in Northern Ireland was a Tipperary Catholic.
Constable John Ryan, a native of Drombane near Thurles, was 43 years old when he was killed on February 28th, 1933, following a shoot-out with IRA gunmen who were attempting to hijack a mail van on Grosvenor Road in west Belfast.
His story has been told for the first time in a new radio documentary made by Tom Hurley, a producer for the Tipp Todayprogramme on Co Tipperary's local radio station, tippfm.
He said that Ryan’s story had “remained lost for decades” and he has managed to track down Ryan’s grandson in Australia and the son of his IRA killer in Dublin – both of whom were interviewed.
Ryan had been a member of the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary), which was disbanded after Independence.
In the South, policing was handed over to the newly-formed Civic Guard – later renamed the Garda Síochána.
Hurley said that Ryan apparently believed he would be unlikely to be accepted into the new force and decided to move to Northern Ireland, where he joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary, since replaced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
According to Garda Jim Herlihy in Cork, who contributed to the programme, Ryan “would have found it almost impossible to get into the Civic Guards especially since most of those who did join in the very early days were ex-IRA”.
Ryan was survived by his widow Catherine and daughter Joanna, both since deceased.
However, Hurley has managed to track down Ryan’s grandson Martin Jarman who lives in the Australian city of Brisbane.
He said that Mr Jarman was “put up for adoption by his mother Joanna and only found out about his past 10 years ago”.
Ryan’s killer was Bob Bradshaw, an IRA man from Divis Street in Belfast who fled to Dublin after the murder and was never apprehended.
He died in 1993. His son Terry Bradshaw has also contributed to the programme.
Ryan’s body was brought home to Co Tipperary from Belfast in 1933 and he was buried in Kilvalure cemetery just outside Thurles.
The first part of the documentary Divided Loyalty: Tipperary's RUC Casualtywas broadcast last night; part two goes out next Sunday evening at 6.30pm on tippfm.
Listeners outside Tipperary can hear the documentary on tippfm.com
