Ned Tennyson of North Armagh

IT WAS with great sadness that republicans in North Armagh learned of the death of veteran republican Ned Tennyson on 31 August 2007.
Ned was born in October 1920 at the Crockin, in Annaghmore, close to Portadown, County Armagh. He moved to Portadown in 1932.
Ned played Gaelic football for Annaghmore GFC and had a great love of the Irish language and Irish dancing. He especially enjoyed a good ceílí and was always involved in both activities in Portadown.
Ned joined the Republican Movement in 1936 when he was just 16 years old and was shortly arrested for possession of illegal documents and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.
Also in 1936, he was one of a group of republicans who cycled 20 miles to place a wreath on the grave of ‘The Fenian’ Harbinson (the first Fenian to die while in jail, reputedly murdered by prison officers) in Laloo graveyard, close to the staunchly loyalist village of Aghalee, County Antrim. On the return journey they were arrested and taken to Aghalee Barracks. They were kept until dark and then released one by one into a waiting mob of loyalists. They received a severe beating.
Ned was arrested again in Cullyhanna, South Armagh, in 1940 following a bank raid. He and his comrades were surrounded by the RUC and a gun battle ensued. Ned was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and was whipped with the cat o’ nine tails in Crumlin Road Jail. During his imprisonment Ned took part in a ‘strip strike’, protesting against wearing prison garb. On the strike with Ned were other veteran republican comrades such as Joe Cahill, Gerry Adams (Senior), Seamus ‘Jimmy’ Steele and John Graham, who was O/C of a Shankill Road company of the IRA in Belfast. In 1948, ten days before Christmas, Ned was released unconditionally from Crumlin Road Jail under an amnesty.
In the early 1970s, Ned was elected chair of the newly-formed Seamus Robinson Cumann of Sinn Féin in Portadown. In 1988, he was made an honorary member of Sinn Féin in recognition of his commitment to the struggle for Irish liberation and as an important figure within the movement in North Armagh.

BRITISH SOLDIERS
One story of Ned’s commitment in defence of the people of North Armagh is from 1983 when he came across British soldiers abusing a woman. When Ned intervened, one of the soldiers (the regimental boxing champion) asked him for a ‘fair go’. But Ned, now aged in his 60s, gave him such a hiding that one of the other Brits intervened and hit him with his rifle butt, causing a wound that needed six stitches.
Despite ill health, Ned still played a major role in the work of Sinn Féin, either canvassing during elections or selling An Phoblacht/Republican News every week, hail, rain or shine. Foremost for Ned was his belief that every republican should be willing to play a part in the struggle and that no task is too small or too big to be undertaken.
The Republican Movement sends its condolences to his wife Lily, sons and daughters and wider family circle.
Ni fheicimid a leithéid arís agus go ndéana Dia trócaire ara anam uasal.