Colonel Thomas Gay was the handler of a large spy ring working on behalf of Michael Collins during the Irish War of Independence.
26 Facts About Thomas Gay
1.
2.
Thomas Gay was the handler of Detective Sergeant Ned Broy and Detective Joe Kavanagh, both of whom were employed in the Castle to provide intelligence to Collins.
3.
Thomas Gay's home at 8 Haddon Road, Clontarf was a regular, often weekly, meeting place for Collins, Broy, Kavanagh, David Neligan, James Mc Namara and on occasion Sean O'Duffy and Harry Boland.
4.
Neligan described Thomas Gay as "a staunch friend of Collins and so was his wife who was a noble woman".
5.
Thomas Gay joined the Irish Volunteers on 20 September 1914, the night following Redmond's Speech at Woodenbridge.
6.
Thomas Gay reported to Marrowbone Lane Distillery in Easter week 1916 and was assigned to travel between garrisons keeping lines of communication open and gathering intelligence.
7.
Thomas Gay later carried news of the surrender from John MacBride in Jacob's Factory to Con Colbert at the Distillery.
8.
Eluding capture, Thomas Gay was free to smuggle messages from prisoners and to pass on copies of the Gaelic American, a banned magazine, to them.
9.
Thomas Gay chaired a Special General Meeting of the club on 21 October 1916 at which the death during the Insurrection of two Club members was marked.
10.
Club records show that Thomas Gay played hurling for both the Junior and Senior teams in 1905.
11.
Thomas Gay was on the team that won the Middle Hurling League and for which he was awarded a gold medal.
12.
Thomas Gay held the office of President in 1910,1911,1912,1916 and 1917.
13.
Thomas Gay had a particular interest in fostering the game of camogie.
14.
Thomas Gay was a founder member of the Dublin Camogie League and its first Hon.
15.
Thomas Gay was joint Honorary Secretary of the committee and put his energies in the last years of his life towards ensuring fair pensions for Old IRA veterans.
16.
Thomas Gay worked initially as a commercial clerk before securing appointment as an Assistant Librarian with the City Corporation in September 1900.
17.
Thomas Gay joined the Free State Army in 1922 and served as Staff Captain and then Colonel, retiring, on demobilisation of war time strength, on 20 December 1923.
18.
Thomas Gay was an active trade unionist joining the Irish Local Government Officers' Trade Union.
19.
Thomas Gay served on the executive committee and was ultimately elected president.
20.
Thomas Gay was elected to the first executive board and held the position of chairman for three years.
21.
Thomas Gay lived much of his teenage years in a two-room tenement at Little Strand Street, Dublin with his parents and five siblings.
22.
Thomas Gay was educated at Synge Street CBS and James Street, Christian Brothers School where he attained all grades, except senior, with honours.
23.
Thomas Gay married Eileen O'Shaughnessy of "Mountain View", Grand Canal Bank, Rialto, Dublin on 17 October 1917.
24.
Thomas Gay died on 2 January 1953 and was survived by his three children, Eileen, Kevin and Mary.
25.
Thomas Gay's wife predeceased him in 1924 when she died of a postpartum infection.
26.
Thomas Gay later lived at 15, Grantham Street, South Circular Road.