Brigade. We knew them very well and had a long chat with them and they utterly amazed and confounded us with their report about a statement in the Cork Examiner of that morning calling for a Cease Fire and for the dumping of all arms, this statement allegedly issued by the Army Council of the IRA General Headquarters. It gave us some consolation, however, that guns and ammunition were not surrendered. Next, Jack Kenefick appeared on the spot, and the five of us decided to dump everything and return to Cork. [109] 1922-1923 End of Civil War While walking along the Bantry line, a car came up behind us and I recognised Father Tom Duggan. I asked him if he would mind taking us as far as Ballinora adding that I knew all the back roads and would direct him that way. He agreed, although I had told him quite frankly that, if we met any Free State troops who might recognise us, we would have no chance to get through. If, however. we met Free Staters who did not know us then we would try and just bluff our way through. Connie Lucey, pulling me aside, said: "Listen Connie, I have an idea .... We'll pretend that both of us are from the Mental Hospital; I am a Medical Doctor and you are one of the male nurses. If stopped by the Free Staters I will say that we are bringing in a patient." (The said patient being Jack Kenefick!) Of course, I had to tell Canon Duggan so that he could instruct his driver - but Jack Kenefick was not to know his “role". So. Jack was placed in the backseat, sitting between Connie and myself. Fortunately. we met no Free Staters and it was only some time later that we told Jack of the plan and of the part he would have had in it. He laughed but also called us some choice names better not repeated here! Jack was a great friend of all of us blessed with an exceptional sense of humour; we felt that if we had taken him into our confidence from the start. he might very likely have tried some of his tricks (and he was full of them) just for the devilment of it. Arriving at Inchgaggin, Connie and myself got out of the car and stayed at the home of the Horgan family for the night while the others went on. The following night we struck out for Jim Sheehan's place, Back Douglas Road, Cork, but it was about 1:30 am. by the time we passed St. Joseph's Cemetery. We both realised that to wake Jim up, when he was not expecting us, would also awaken some of the neighbours and that, we felt, would be far too dangerous. [110] The house of Tom Matt Murphy, also a very good friend of ours, was nearby sol we decided we had better stay the night there. After a few knocks a window upstairs opened and Tom's head appeared. When we told him who we were he was downstairs in a flash, flung the door wide open, and in a short while we enjoyed warmth, food, and a nice cup of tea, followed by much needed sleep in most comfortable beds. Once again, I want to say that the kindness and generosity of all the Murphy family was of the very best and highest. The next day passed, night fell, and still they would not let us go, in fact, we stayed there for weeks - and royalty could not have been treated better! During our stay at Murphy's a big hunger strike broke out in the Curragh detention camps and in prisoner camps all over the country. Connie and I felt that even the most lofty nationalistic ideas and sentiments would not suffice to keep 15,000 men on hunger strike and we were afraid that any break-down would be very bad for morale in general. So, off Connie went to General Headquarters, Dublin, there to ask that the strike be called off - his request was refused. Andy Sullivan of Cork 4 and Denny Barry of Cork 1 both died on that hunger strike. Many of the prisoners took the agony for as long as forty days, but they had to give up in the end. Again, we realised the utter senselessness and futility of this whole strike which only played havoc with discipline tempers, and morale of all prisoners. One night, and while Connie was still in Dublin, I got a message to leave the Murphy home, to cross the river, and then to meet Tom Crofts and some other friends. That very same night, Dan Donovan, Sean Culhane, T. Sullivan and Mick Murphy escaped from Cork Jail. Dan and Mick immediately headed for Tom Matt Murphy's home and arrived safely. They were sitting down nicely by the fire when they heard a lorry come up Tory Top Lane. Dan and Mick made a run [111] for it, reaching St. JosephIs Cemetery in no time at all, where they took cover behind the tombstones until the raid was over. Right away, Tom Matt came looking for them and brought them back for the house. He told them that he knew the man in charge of the raid, that he was from Cork City, and that he was not regarded as being friendly to us. The
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