Barry WAS hiding under a truck - a woman spectator pointed his presence out to the Army, afraid that he would be run over. Barry certainly was regarded as a hero by the vast majority of Irish people, especially in the "28 Counties"!

Re Beachcomber's comment about the youngest soldier to die in the War of Indep, I can't recall now where I read that. Maybe I was misinformed and mistaken. Barry's youth was certainly a major factor in the campaign to have him spared.

For a balanced account of the incident see a book called "Hanged for Ireland" by Tim Carey (an American).