Explosives believed to be from War of Independence found on former RTÉ journalist's farm

A former RTÉ journalist got a big surprise while renovating an old shed on his farm in West Cork with a find of gelignite explosives - and lots of it.

This prompted an arrival of the bomb squad to the farm of Fergal Keane in Baltimore. The gelignite is believed to be from the War of independence era. 

Mr Keane confirmed on social media that there there were 180 sticks of Gelignite disposed of in three very large explosions by the ordinance disposal unit of the DF, whom he thanked. 

He added: "We think it was hidden by Denis Dinny O'Neill and his comrades around then.

"He emigrated to the US in the mid-20s and it was forgotten about".

Mr Keane told the Claire Byrne Live show on Friday that there are other outhouses on the farm which they haven't touched. He said the advice from the army disposal experts was "we made this place safe but proceed with caution in other areas". 

He said the gelignite gets very volatile as it gets older. 

Fire in the hole!!! Controlled explosion 4 disposing of our Gelignite in Baltimore pic.twitter.com/arSAxiUcnO

— Fergal Keane (@fergalrte) October 6, 2023

He told Claire Byrne that around 1919 three of the local IRA commanders were living in the house. "One of them was Denis O'Neill - we suspect, he took part in one of the biggest actions of the War of Independence in Kilmichael where there was an ambush and 16 Black and Tans and three IRA men were killed," he said. 

It is believed that at that time, or after the Treaty, Mr O'Neill hid away the explosives. He emigrated a couple of years later, "and it was obviously forgotten about," Mr Keane said. 

Mr Keane said locals believe the gelignite on his farm was part of the explosives taken in the first act of the War of Independence in a West Cork brigade operation in Tipperary, which up until now has never been found.