[2] He was the seventh of eleven children to his parents Finian Lynch and Ellie McCarthy, the master and mistress of the new national school in the townland of Kilmakerrin, near Cahersiveen, in County Kerry.

[4] This address would later become well known because Michael Collins,[5] a first cousin of Gearóid O'Sullivan, stayed there after his release from Frongoch internment camp in December 1916 sharing a room with Lynch,[6] with it remaining his base until 1922.

While in Swansea, and keen on fostering the Irish language both written and spoken, Lynch had formed a branch of the Gaelic League.

When he returned to Dublin in 1912 Lynch, Gearóid O'Sullivan and his friend Diarmuid O'Hegarty joined the very active and influential Keating Branch of the Gaelic League, where IRB influence was strong.

The chair of the branch was Cathal Brugha and Piaras Béaslaí was a member, with Seán Mac Diarmada a frequent visitor.

He had a story about his BA in Celtic studies whereby the university was short of an examiner fluent in the Irish language and sought the help, probably of the Gaelic league.

He was registered as a student as Finian Lynch, the anglicised version of his name, and the recommendation from the Gaelic league for a suitable examiner was one Fionán Ó Loingsigh.

In July 1914, they were producing Irish plays at the Oireachtas in Drogheda and Seán Mac Diarmada insisted that they go ahead even though it clashed with the Howth gun running.

On 25 November 1913, Lynch, together with Gearóid O'Sullivan and Diarmuid O'Hegarty attended the meeting at the Rotunda Rink for the founding of the Irish Volunteers and they joined on that first night.

Soon after this he was asked by his close friend Seán Mac Diarmada, along with Con Collins, to join the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

The IRB supreme Council were trying to ensure volunteer officers were members of the brotherhood and the fact that he was already friendly with Seán MacDiarmada made him acceptable.

However, during this time he organised a Sunday morning training squad centre at the headquarters of the Gaelic League, 25 Parnell Square, for members whose positions made it impossible for them to be openly associated with the Volunteers.

Lynch fought in the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916 in the Four Courts garrison with Commandant Edward Daly in North King Street.

The leaders were alerted, Lynch collecting Patrick Pearce from his home at Saint Enda's and a series of meetings were held through the day to late evening at Liberty Hall.

Lynch was stationed in North King Street, adjacent to the Four Courts,[11] having previously reconnoitred the area on Good Friday, they were rapidly able to occupy their chosen houses, create barricades and arrange food supplies in line with their original plans.

His final engagement was on Saturday afternoon at the barricade on the May Lane side of the Franciscan Church, during which Seán Hurley was fatally wounded.

General Sir John Maxwell said of North King Street: "With the one exception of the place at Ballsbridge, where the Sherwood Foresters were ambushed, this was by far the worst fighting that occurred in the whole of Dublin.

He attended the first Roger Casement Commemoration in Banna Strand, County Kerry, on 11 August 1917 where he gave a speech along with Thomas Ashe and Austin Stack before a crowd of 12,000.

[17] Lynch was arrested on 13 August 1917 along with Thomas Ashe and Austin Stack under the charge of making seditious speeches and wearing the Volunteer uniform.

Apparently his candidature was a surprise as, being imprisoned, Lynch had not been available to sign his assent to his nomination which had been done for him by Michael Collins, without troubling to notify his friend that he had done so.

Lynch pointed out areas of the prison that were weakly guarded inside, including counting the number of bricks in the walls to estimate the height for the rope ladders.

After the marriage, which was conducted by his brother, Father John Lynch, he and Bridget got a flat at 98 Pembroke Road, Dublin leaving 44 Mountjoy Street.

After September 1919 the Dáil was declared illegal following which it met rarely, but its cabinet held meetings in various different locations across the city of Dublin, overseeing the guerrilla war that was being fought at that time against the British.

[29] Sinn Féin knew that the June election would split the party and in an effort to retain unity a Pact was drawn up in May 1922 under which it was agreed that both Pro and Anti-Treaty TDs would form a coalition government.

By mid-summer the major cities were under government control and the Irregulars were concentrated in the rural areas of the province of Munster, particularly in the counties of Tipperary, Cork, and Kerry.

[31] On Friday, 25 August 1922, Lynch, in command of a large force of Dublin Guards, set out for Kenmare to relieve and strengthen the garrison that had been established earlier in the month by Tom O’Connor-Scarteen.

[33] On 6 December 1922, the day the Irish Free State came into being, two members of its legislature were shot by the Irregulars, one of whom, Seán Hales, was killed, as part of a retaliatory policy for the military court executions that had started a few weeks earlier.

1 brigade of the IRA told Ernie O'Malley of his reluctance to become involved in reprisal shootings after Free State executions, commenting: ‘I didn't like that order.

Kevin Lynch qualified in arts and was called to the Irish bar, and finished his career as a Judge of the Supreme Court.

Fionán Lynch died at his home in Dartry, Dublin, on 3 June 1966, aged 77, shortly after celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising.