Memoirs of Connie Francis Neenan 1916-1920s, 1939-1940

sport of Hurling, I also had some quite severe scars on the top of my head, fortunately, hidden by my hair. So, and pretending to be very nonchalant about the matter of finger-printing, I always used to turn my hands very quickly, chatting away amiably to the warder who did the finger printing, and strangely enough, the scars were never discovered or, subsequently entered on my record. As to the scars on my head, I used to part my hair on the right but, then, got into the habit of combing it straight back which not alone served to hide my scars but also gave me quite a different appearance. [46] On my dismissal from prison, I had been given a letter from London, sent to me by Tom Neenan, who invited before me to come and stay with him as soon as I were free. Not interested to be caught again, I located Tom and his wife at their home in Tuffnell Park. Although Tom was not a relative, I was very fortunate that he happened to have read about our hunger strike many months before (Terry McSwiney had died on it); per chance, Tom had met my Sister Kathleen, who travelled to England trying to find out where to I had been deported, and in their usual kind-hearted way, Tom and Mrs. Neenan had been very friendly and hospitable to her. At that time Tom, together with Sam Maguire, worked in the Post Office at Mount Pleasant Street. On learning that I had been imprisoned in Winchester, my Sister then returned to Cork; this was on a Saturday and on the following Monday I called to see Mr. McDonnell, a Solicitor, who had offices on Southampton Row. He had previously paid a visit to Winchester Prison, and had told Maurice Crowe, who was in charge of us, that he represented Michael Collins, the Irish Self-Determination League, etc. I protested to Mr. McDonnell on the use of the Prison Pass by released prisoners for travelling and he told me right away that some others of our fellows had been picked up when they set foot on Irish soil in Dun Laoghaire, then to be interned in Ballykinlar. He fully agreed with my complaint and protest, telling me that he had already spoken to Art O'Brien and received an assurance that all future releases would be met and would be given money to purchase their own tickets. That same week I also contacted Mrs. Egan, Sister of Mick Murphy of Cork. She lived at 16 Kingsbury Road, Derision; I also went to see Mrs. O'Shea of 8 Loraine Road, Holloway, where Don O'Sullivan, another Cork prisoner from Birmingham, had found shelter after his release, as had Cathal Shannon and others of our lads. Both houses, and their occupants were very active in Irish Republican circles, and unsurpassed in their kindness and wonderful hospitality. Next came a message for me from Frank Thornton, of GHQ, Dublin, via Sam Maguire and Tom Neenan asking me to come and see him. This I did and Frank told me that others from Cork were on their way over for a special mission. Soon Peter Donovan, Tadgh Sullivan, and Florrie O'Donoghue arrived. The same day after leaving Mr. McDonnell’s office, I say a man, Irish in appearance, in the lift at the Tube Station in Holborn. At Holloway Road I noticed another man get [47] get off and I followed him. Moving after both of them, I then saw the first man entering No.8 Lorraine Road, the O'Shea home, while the second man following looked up at the number carefully, and then walked on. I stayed behind him as he walked up Holloway Road to the Nags Head where he chatted to a police man. Returning to 8 Lorraine Road, Mrs. O'Shea then introduced me to the man I had seen, he was Irish alright, and his name was Hayes who came from Tipperary. I immediately asked him where he had come from just now (he was on the run) and he told me that he was working for the Irish Self Determination League and that he had come to Lorraine Road straight from the League offices and that he had arrived from Cardiff and Swansea that same day. So I warned him that I was sure he was being followed but he laughed it off. He was arrested the following Monday at Mrs. O'Shea's house and ended up in Ballykinlar. Later, Inspector Worrell from Scotland Yard called on Mrs. O'Shea and expressed sympathy with us; his people came from County Clare. He then told Mrs. O’Shea that Scotland Yard had followed Hayes for five days in London and he had a detailed account of his movements, all of the information perfectly correct. It was during this time that the London papers carried the story of a man, who had previously come from Dublin, being shot on a golf links. It developed that this man had become traitorous to his companions in Ireland and fate caught up with him. The special mission mentioned above, to be carried out by the members of Cork IRA C Company, 2nd Battalion, concerned a certain obnoxious individual (attached to British Intelligence but not the previously mentioned officer Kelly) who was stationed at Cork Barracks but had gone on a short furlough to his home near Gravesend Station, which is quite some distance from London. Frank Thornton and Tadg told me that they had orders for

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