regulations and schedules so, the revolvers and ammunition were returned to us by the warders. [67] At that same time Bob Caniffe, a member of G. Company and, also, of the Active Service Unit, Cork City, and I were given another assignment. Thus, we took a tram to the Mental Hospital, Lee Road, there to collect some revolvers and ammunition which had been stored there. At the top of the Mardyke, we were suddenly and very rudely hauled off the tram by a number of Black and Tans who gave us a severe searching and examination. Finally, they did release us and we returned to the tram, yet, once again I was pulled back for another severe going-over and, had it not been for the perseverance and most effective intercession of a member of who was with the Tans, I would certainly have been taken away right there and then. Then, after all this delay Bob and I were let go but we decided that, due to all this activity and searching, it might be better to postpone our trip for the guns at that time. On the following day, however, we did collect them successfully and without interference. Conventional warfare, as anyone knows, depends to a great extent on a perfect communications system between General Headquarters and the various brigade headquarters. Telephones were not used very often for obvious security reasons, but we had a truly excellent and very effective courier system which we maintained as near to perfection as possible throughout the duration of hostilities. In guerrilla warfare, however, almost none of the conventional devices can be employed, instead, personal contact and secret meetings are the only solution to maintain the necessary contacts. Arrangements for such secret meetings always required the most elaborate preparations and precautions since everyone of us knew only too well that detection and subsequent arrest would bring sure imprisonment and, if recognised and identified, not alone possible but quite probable torture and execution. The following account will illustrate the constant difficulties we had to content with. One day Sean Hegarty, our Brigade O.C., sent word to me that I was to meet him at Knockraha, situated in East Cork and the operating area of our 4th Battalion. At this time Sean was with the Brigade column which encountered almost constant and most severe enemy pressure at all times and from Knockraha at all sides. The plan was for me to meet a Mrs. Canavan, at the Lower Road Railway Station. I was to proceed to Dunkettle and from there drive on by pony and trap. That very evening the Railway Station was packed with Black [68] and Tans, in addition, there was British military on the outside. Going in to the Station I did not find Mrs. Canavan and, not wanting to arouse the attention of the Black and Tans, I quickly left, crossed the road and went into the nearest public house where I met Jack Walsh who worked in the railway. Jack, incidentally, was a brother of Tom and of Ned Walsh, both active I.R.A. men and members of the 1ST Battalion, Cork 1 Brigade. So, he went back for a more thorough search and he did meet Mrs. Canavan who had arrived in the meantime and was waiting. With all the activity going on, she too thought that it would be best for me not to try to proceed to Knockraha that night. So, back again I turned towards Cork City only to find that the British, in the meantime, had put up roadblocks. This forced me to try getting back on a different way, namely, down Lower Road; I soon realised that this road too was blocked and I was stopped and searched near the Ferry. Fortunately, none of that British patrol knew me and, eventually, I got away and crossed the Ferry. I had barely set foot on land when I saw two Civilians carrying Webley revolvers in their hands coming towards me. Immediately, I ducked and, luckily, they did not spot me. I knew right away that these men were not I.R.A. members but suspected them to be Black and Tans in mufti. And I was right in my assumption because walking on with great caution, I saw many more of them. Eventually, I returned to the G. Company area but only after I had called on Con Healy and made arrangements with him to borrow his pony and trap the following morning. I also arranged with Molly Harvey and Grace O'Callaghan, Togher, both young daughters of two well-known Republican families, to accompany me on my trip for safety and to make it look more inconspicuous. By the time I finally got to bed, I was a bundle of nerves, but having escaped after all I soon went to sleep with a big sigh of relief. Next morning, we set off fairly early and reached Knockraha around noon without any incident. I met Sean Hegarty in one of the fields adjoining the Canavan’s home, and while we were talking, we observed that a raid was in progress with British military all over the area. Sean and I stayed in hiding and we were not detected while we, in turn, saw the British pass quite close by on their way back to the city. So, Sean and I had a chance of thoroughly discussing urgent I.R.A. matters and [69] further resistance activities planned for the future. Sean was a
35
Powered by FlippingBook