The Pearse Street Fire Disaster.

This article aims to provide a brief overview of the Pearse Street Fire of 1936. It is by no means a complete overview of events and I recommend anyone seeking more information on the incident consult ‘A Triple Tragedy in Dublin, The Pearse Street Fire, 1936′, by A.P Behan. That paper was published in the Dublin Historical Record (ISSN 0012-6861, Spring 1997). I have relied on it, and newspapers of the period, for much of the information below.

Men fight the blaze, image taken from Independent. This image was taken moments before an explosion in the premises.

Writing in the Irish Independent in the immediate aftermath of the event , Anthony Flynn wrote of the risks men in the Dublin Fire Brigade faced in the line of work.

The fireman himself thinks only of duty. That duty is clear and defined. And our Dublin firemen do not hesitate. In Pearse Street, as on countless other occasions, these men faced death. Three of them died, displaying a courage equal, if indeed, it does not transcend, that of the battlefield.

The premises of Exide Batteries, at 164 Pearse Street, had been the site of a horrific blaze on the night of Monday October 5th. Due to the proximity of Tara Street Fire Station, it took less than two minutes for the men to arrive on scene. The fire had been detected by the tenants above Exide Batteries at 10.50 p.m. In the definitive history of the Dublin Fire Brigade (The Dublin Fire Brigade: A History of the Brigade, the Fires and the Emergencies, by Trevor Whitehead and Tom Geraghty)they note that

Number 163 housed a barber’s shop at ground level and a private hotel occupying the upper floors. Number 164 had a retail shop belonging to Exide Batteries Ltd. on the front ground floor, vacant offices on the first floor and a family of seven living on the top floor. The basements, although not connected,were the location of a factory in which Exide batteries were assembled….

The fire was fought in terrible conditions. The water supply in the area was nowhere near adequate, for example. A.P Behan stated in his paper ‘A Triple Tragedy in Dublin, The Pearse Street Fire, 1936′ that

There was practically no volume of water and no pressure. Onlookers were incensed at the firemen having to fight such fire in these conditions, and the absence of adequate water supply had the result that the firemen had to get so close to the fire that their uniforms were scorched

Two explosions ripped the premises apart. Initially, two firemen were thought missing in the premises, but quickly it became apparent a third was missing. It was not until about 10 in the morning the next day that the third body was found. The three Dublin firefighters killed in the line of duty were:

Fireman Robert Malone- a veteran of the 1916 Rising who had served as a Lieutenant with “D” Company 3rd Battalion at Bolands Mills Garrison, under Eamon de Valera. He left a wife and child behind.

Fireman Thomas Nugent- who was engaged to be married.

Fireman Peter McArdle- who left a wife and seven children (His funeral mass card is shown below)

The mass card of Firefighter Peter McArdle (Dublin Fire Brigade Museum)

Several firefighters were wounded in the blast, including Tommy Potts, the famous fiddler. In his article ‘Buckingham Street Firefighters of the Past’ Terry Potts wrote that

Thomas Potts, as a firefighter, was commended for his efforts at the North Strand Bombing. He was blown from the roof of Exide Batteries in Pearse Street in 1936…

Tommy Potts on the front of The Liffey Banks- Claddagh Records

The bodies of the three Dublin firefighters were taken to City Hall, where there would be an offical lying-in-state. A.P Byrne noted in his article that:

The Lord Mayor Alfie Byrne, called a special meeting of the corporation for the purpose of expression of sympathy and to offer a public funeral. The municipal flag over the Mansion House and City Hall flew at half mast, and many public bodies and organisations passed votes of sympathy.

The coffin of Robert Malone was draped with a tricolour, owing to his service within the Irish Volunteers. The other two coffins had the municipal flag of the city draped over them. The coffins of Nugent and McArdle had guards of honour comprised of firemen from Tara Street Station, while Malones was given a Guard of Honour of Bolands Mills veterans. From here the remains were taken on Friday to the Church of St. Andrew on Westland Row, before Requiem Mass there on the Saturday.

The funeral was to be a huge affair. The Irish Press, of Monday , October 12th, noted that

Church, state, representatives of the Dublin Corporation, the Gardai, Old I.R.A, and almost all workers organisations, were represented at the civic funeral accorded in Dublin on Saturday to Firemen Robert Malone, Thomas Nugent and Peter MacArdle

The coffin of Robert Malone is draped with a tricolour, and veterans of the 1916 Rising march alongside it.

The news-report estimated that up to 100,000 Dubliners had lined the route,and noted that

Mr. de Valera, President of the Executive Council, sent to Capt. “Joe.”, Dublin’s Fire Chief, a message of sympathy on behalf of the Government

The “Joe” mentioned above was Captain Joseph Connolly, chief of the Dublin Fire Brigade who had also served in the 1916 Rising, as a member of the Irish Citizen Army under Michael Mallin at the Royal College of Surgeon’s.

Incredible footage of the funeral can be viewed at the British Pathe site, here. The extent of the public outpouring of grief is clear.

Stills from the British Pathe footage of the funeral

The three men were taken to Glasnevin Cemetery, where they were buried side by side. The Irish Post noted that

A firing party of 1916 men, some of whom fought in Boland’s Mill with Fireman Malone, fired three volleys over the grave, and the “Last Post” was sounded by Mr. Peadar Brennan, of “L” Company, Old Dublin Brigade, I.R.A.

Although the other fireman had not been members of the I.R.A they were also accorded military honours.

Mr. Oscar Trayor T.D, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence and a 1916 man, was present at the graveside.

Also in attendance at the funeral were several representatives of English Fire Brigades, including the London Fire Chief decorated with the the highest award available to a firefighter for bravery. Many politicians and other public figures were in attendance, including Dan Breen T.D ,Senator Margaret Pearse and councillor Jim Larkin.

Robert Malone. Photograph from Dublin Fire Brigade Museum.

A Dublin Fire Brigade brass helmet, the typical model worn by men in the Brigade at the time of the Pearse Street fire. (L.Fallon collection)

I will not go into the Tribunal which followed the disaster here, beyond stating a fine account is given in the A.P Behan article mentioned above. Rather, I will focus on commemoration of the men. Today a plaque to the memory of the three firefighters stands at the site of the blaze. A report on the launch of that plaque can be read here. Along with this plaque, a memorial is also situated by the entrance to the Dublin Fire Brigade Training Centre and Museum.

A beautiful tribute to the men is the marble fire helmet which sits upon the graves at Glasnevin Cemetery.

Firemen Nugent, McArdle and Malone. All three perished in the Pearse Street Fire. Photo credit: Dublin Fire Brigade Museum

Notice in the image above, two of the three men are wearing Pembroke Fire Brigade cap badges (On the right of this image). These photographs were taken prior to the amalgamation of the two township Brigades of Rathmines and Pembroke with the main Brigade in 1931. (L.Fallon Collection)

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