Joey Bradley was an IRA squad leader during the Irish War of Independence. He served under Jimmy Mahon before being appointed to take over Mahon's squad when Mahon was moved to intelligence. In 1920, he was arrested during a failed arms shipment raid at a Dublin bakery, and he was then brought to the North Brunswick Street Barracks. He was tortured by RIC captain David McLeod before being ordered to Mountjoy Prison to be hanged; Mahon, disguised as a British Army officer, succeeded in rescuing him from the barracks. He then had his revenge by killing McLeod and his wife during Bloody Sunday on 21 November 1920. From 1920 to 1921, he cultivated a relationship with Jimmy's niece Minnie Mahon, but their relationship grew strained due to Bradley's willingness to accept the Irish Free State, while Mahon was a Fianna Fail supporter. Minnie later convinced Bradley to switch sides, as he did not wish to serve the King of England, and the two of them joined the anti-Treaty IRA.