Dan was present on the night Professor Carolan's was raided. During the raid he and Sean Treacy escaped. Dan though wounded ran across the road to a neighbouring house. The occupants of the house sheltered him and even called a nurse to see to his wound. While he was in this house word was sent through the Republican grapevine regarding his position and his wound. Dick McKee of G.H.Q. heard of his situation and had Dan moved to the Mater Hospital where he could be cared for and his security assured. Dan recovered from his wounds in the Mater and while he was there his best friend, Sean Treacy was shot and killed by British forces, in Talbot Street, Dublin.

In the early days of the Truce Dan drove through Tipperary in a pony and trap because he wanted to meet the ordinary people who had helped him and his comrades throughout the War of Independence.  Maurice Crowe and Bill Quirke (later a member of the Senate) accompanied him on his travels.

In September l921, Dan returned to Dublin. He stayed in Dublin until shortly after the Treaty was signed in December 1921, when he returned to Munster disillusioned. He then went to England and eventually to America. In early March 1922, while he was in America he received a cablegram from Liam Lynch who wanted him to return to Ireland to join the fight that was then brewing between those who supported and those who disagreed with the Treaty.  Dan did return to Ireland. On his return he met people from both sides of the divide and attempted to unite them. But his attempts proved unsuccessful. The Civil War began on June 28, 1922, with the shelling of the Four Courts in Dublin.

Following the surrender of the Four Courts the Civil War was centred mainly in Munster, with the Republican Headquarters (H.Q.) in Clonmel, under the leadership of General Liam Lynch. Dan did not want to bring the terror of the Civil War to his own people and he believed in the beginning it would affect only Dublin. Dan believed in the idea of a Republic and he thought it worth fighting for. However, he was a realist and he knew that it was almost impossible to achieve a Republic. On one occasion he told Liam Lynch that in order for them to win they would need to kill sixty per cent of the population. Dan probably sided with the Anti-Treaty men because he was emotionally attached to them as they had to fight in the hills, just as he did during the War of Independence. He may also have felt that the memories of his comrades, especially Sean Treacy, his most cherished friend, who had fought and died for the Republic, might be betrayed if anything less was accepted. Also he had a great respect for Liam Lynch, the Republican commander.

During the Civil War Dan remained in the bills and saw very little serious combat. Throughout the Civil War he was in command of one hundred and fifty of the best men on the Republican side, many of them from Cork, Kerry and Tipperary. Dan established his H.Q. at Nine Mile House. His position came under attack from Free State troops under the command of Colonel Tommy Ryan (he was on the Tipperary football team on Bloody Sunday, 1920). Colonel Ryan's troops attacked and after a prolonged fight Dan's men retreated after deciding it would be useless to continue the fight and eventually be taken prisoner.

Later in the Civil War Dan was resting in a "dugout" in the Glen of Aherlow when it was surrounded by Free State troops. They waited for him to wake up and arrested him.This was the first time in his life that he was taken prisoner. He was taken to Tipperary town. He was tried and imprisoned. This ended his participation in the remainder of the Civil War.

After the Civil War he returned to America and had a colourful career as a bootlegger during prohibition. He remained in America for some time but eventually returned to Ireland. Dan was elected a T.D. and was the first Republican to take a seat in the Free State Dáil. He died in 1969, and is buried in Donohill cemetery with his wife Brigid, who he married during the War of Independence.

Dan was one of the leading lights in the fight for freedom and was wounded on numerous occasions in pursuit of Ireland's freedom. He suffered many hardships in his life. He must have been a man of great personal courage and was immensely loyal to his comrades and his country. He loved his country and was more than willing to give up his life for it. His actions inspired a generation of young Irishmen to