When 18 year-old Chris O’Dowd ran away from his home in Cahernabruck to join the British Army, he could not have expected to become one of the original members of the most famous elite fighting force in the world. ‘He Who Dared and Died’ tells how O’Dowd ended up a Sergeant in the S.A.S. during the North African campaign in 1942. The Unit had just been formed, and Chris was one of the handpicked team chosen by the leader, David Stirling.

The two men had already fought together with Churchill’s Commandos, and Stirling knew a good soldier when he saw one. For eighteen months the S.A.S. harried Rommel’s army across the desert until the final victory at El Alamein – the turning point in the war. In July 1943 the S.A.S. spearheaded the invasion of Sicily , and from there they were ordered to the mainland. Tragically Chris O’Dowd was killed in action along with fourteen of his ‘brothers in arms’ in October 1943.

Chris (Christy) has many relations in the locality; Niece, Nives de Staic (Shrule Grove), nephews, John ( Main St. ), John (Dalgan) and Allan (Shrule Grove).