Kit O'Malley

Biography

Christopher (Kit) O'Malley was an active member of the I.R.A. from the 1890's to the final Independance of Ireland in the 1920's, at which point he joined the Irish army of the Free State, taking part in military actions during the Civil War. He was involved in the Officer's Rebellion in the Free State army, where he and other officers resisted the attempts to demobolise the new army to reduce it's strength, at which point he was stripped of his rank,posessions and property. He pops up throughout history books over this period like a "Forrest Gump" character, being noted for his occupation of Boland's Mill in Dublin during the Easter 1916 Rising, his actions in Limerick during the Civil War (descriptions of battles fought were used in Sandhurst to illustrate strategies of armoured car useage and modern urban warfare tactics).Also mentioned in history books as the man supposed to bring the ladder during an organised plan to liberate those imprisoned after the 1916 rising who were still interned in England (he forgot the ladder, so they had to use dynamite). His acting debut in Irish Destiny, came about by accident. He had originally been brought in to give technical advice and help with continuity, being an eye-witness to many of the events and actions during the War of Independance and the Civil War, but they decided to give him the part of the I.R.A. Commander in the movie. He died in the early 1940's, leaving a widow and seven children.Despite serving his country in an active military role for over 30 years, his family received no pension from the Free State due to his participation in the Officer's Rebellion.