Edmond Prendiville was born near Listowen in County Kerry in 1871. He joined the RIC at the age of twenty-four (1896) and served in the counties of Monaghan,  Cork, and Tipperary. Six years after joining (1903) he was promoted to acting sergeant, and moved to Millstreet. His time here was relatively uneventful, and he remained in Millstreet for two years before he was moved to take charge in Union Hall. About 1912 he was moved to Tipperary where spent the rest of his time in the force until he was demobilised on  April 3rd 1922.

The following day, he was enlisted into the Civic Guard. Prendiville claimed that he had approached a senior Sinn Féin member during the War of Independence about his intention to retire from the force and stated that ‘he advised me not to on any account, that I was much more useful where I was’. Before his demobilisation, Prendiville had been serving in Clonmel, County Tipperary, and was active in the RIC Representative Body. He was part of a delegation that travelled three times to London in 1921 to discuss future policing arrangements in Ireland with Sir Hamar Greenwood. During the course of the meetings, he came into ‘constant touch’ with senior Sinn Féin representatives at the Treaty negotiations, and was later asked to become a member of the organising committee. On accepting a place on the committee, Prendiville was placed on the ‘Training’ sub-committee and offered a position in the Civic Gua rd.

In May 1922 he was one of five officers abruptly removed from their posts in an incident called the Kildare Mutiny, where trainee Civic Guards protested at the appointment of former RIC officers to the Civic Guard.

After that he lived in Kilmainham where he married Hanna O’Leary. He died in Dr. Steeven’s Hospital 1948. [read more …] “Edmund Prendiville, RIC (Millstreet 1903-1905)”