by Meda Ryan
Lynch in Cork No. 2 brigade had built up the confidence of his volunteer group. Their morale was high and they had a binding element of brotherhood and unity. His letters during this period reflect his contentment. ‘It’s a grand generation to live in,’ he wrote.2The decision to make a success of the struggle was coupled with determination to succeed against all odds. Liam, with the other men, had not taken the decision lightly. Large bodies of men had adjusted themselves mentally to a new concept of the historic struggle. They were prepared for self sacrifice, loyalty and daring. This national movement was different from all previous attempts to attain liberty. The guerrilla idea was a fundamental departure from previous policies, and military assistance from outside would be insignificant, except for the purchase of arms where possible. It was a national policy, recognised by their national government, constitutionally elected by the votes of an overwhelming majority of the people. Despite arrests by the British forces there was no serious disruption of IRA activity.
In March 1920 when Liam returned to his brigade, he moved his headquarters from Glenville to a more central location, Mourne Abbey. Liam continued to give officers the maximum amount of authority and freedom of action, and then hold them responsible for the result. The development of guerrilla warfare was built on the amount of captured arms which each unit could secure. In May 1920 Liam was worried by inactivity in other areas and expressed official concern. ‘Those places where guerilla warfare against the enemy has been waged with great activity and effectiveness represent only a small portion of the country. In some parts there has been marked inactivity. Officers who are neglecting their duty must get on or get out.’3Because of Liam’s excellent organisation, his ability to make quick decisions and to use initiative helped him to play a competent part in the fight for freedom in Cork No. 2 brigade. Together with Cork No. 1 and Cork No. 3 brigades, Cork county played a large part (if not a major part) in gaining freedom for Ireland.
At Mourne Abbey stores, brigade headquarters, Liam was joined by Vice-commandant George Power, who was just beginning to take up full time active service. Power was now on the run; on 1 April he was arrested in his parents’ home in Fermoy. Having asked permission from the officer in charge to go upstairs to collect some clothing, he went into a bedroom, locked the door and escaped through a window.
During this time, Michael Fitzgerald and his comrades remained in Cork jail. Liam drew up rescue plans on several occasions, but it was felt that possible casualties would be too great. Liam decided that if the British authorities could take officers of the IRA and put them in jail, the IRA should in turn capture British officers. His volunteer intelligence organisation reported that some of them fished on the Blackwater. Liam set 26 June as an attempted date of the kidnapping. He selected two officers, Seán Moylan and Patrick Clancy who would, with George Power and himself, capture the men.
A few days before the twenty-sixth Liam and George Power moved into the Fermoy battalion area, got safe hiding, made a final check on the details and finalised their plans. Moylan and Clancy were to travel in a car owned by Curtin of Newmarket. Five miles east of Fermoy, scouts were posted on Saturday morning to watch the fishing pool. They reported seeing General Lucas and his personal servant fishing with two other officers. Moylan, Clancy, Power and Lynch went to the fishing hut, arrested the general’s personal servant, and set about rounding up the three British officers. Taken completely by surprise the first officer offered no resistance and he was led back a prisoner. Shortly afterwards a second officer was found and also captured. Coming through a small wood, George Power came face to face with Lucas and disarmed him. Lucas was marched back to the lodge. When the men assembled the prisoners in the fishing lodge, neither Liam nor his companions were aware of the identity of the two officers accompanying the general. When George Power gave Lucas the names and ranks of the IRA officers, he asked if he had any objection to doing likewise, he said he had none. Lucas pointed to Colonel Danford of the Royal Artillery and Colonel Tyrell of the Royal Engineers. ‘You are to be held as prisoners,’ Lynch said, ‘until we get further instructions from headquarters. Meanwhile we will grant you facilities normally accorded prisoners such as you.’
Lucas’ servant, upon release, was given a letter written by Lynch to the commanding officer of the British forces at Fermoy, notifying him of the capture of the three officers and stating that they would be treated as prisoners of war.
Volunteer Owen Curtin was the driver with Lucas and Lynch and Clancy accompanied Danford. Power and Seán Moylan took Tyrell, the other officer, in the Ford and they set out in the direction of Mourne Abbey. The arrangement was that both cars would if possible keep in touch, with the Ford travelling 50 to 100 yards ahead of the other car. For a time all went well.
In order to avoid passing through Fermoy the cars headed south. Just about two miles south of Rathcormac, the captured officers made a bid for freedom. Lucas and Danford held a brief conversation in Arabic and together they sprang on Lynch and Clancy. The sudden attack put them at a disadvantage, and because of the fight the driver lost control, crashed into the roadside ditch and became unconscious. The struggle between Liam Lynch and General Lucas was particularly severe, both being athletic and trained men. The door of the touring car gave way, and both men were thrown on the roadway and the struggle continued until finally Lynch overpowered Lucas. Meanwhile Danford and Clancy were fighting desperately on the roadside. Danford was getting the better of the encounter when Lynch, having overpowered Lucas, turned around and saw Clancy being choked. He shouted to Danford, ‘Surrender or I’ll shoot!’ Danford ignored the command. Lynch fired. The bullet hit Danford on the face and he collapsed over his opponent.
Power and Moylan, with their prisoners, had gone ahead in the Ford and had not noticed that the other car was not following. When they noticed, they went back and found the touring car lying in the ditch with the driver unconscious at the wheel. On the grass verge nearby, Danford was lying in a pool of blood and General Lucas was bending over him giving him first aid. Liam was doing the same for Paddy Clancy. When the volunteer driver in the wrecked car regained consciousness, they decided that he should go to the nearby village of Rathcormac and get a doctor.
Meanwhile Lynch took Lucas and changed to the Ford car, they turned west near Rathcormac and on to Mourne Abbey. In the home of John O’Connell they left their captive and Lynch. O’Connell found the two men were of such reserved personalities that he ‘did not even know captive from captor until the prisoner was put to bed.’ Lynch instructed George Power to go to Dublin and inform Cathal Brugha and Michael Collins of current happenings.
That afternoon one of the members of the O’Connell family came home on holidays. He informed Lynch of reports circulating in the town that the British intended to carry out reprisals for the capture of General Lucas. Consequently Lynch dispatched a note via Michael McCarthy, stating that Lucas was being held as a prisoner of war and was being treated as such. This, however, did not save the town; for the second time the British carried out widespread destruction; shop windows were broken and there was large scale looting and much intimidation. Meanwhile, searches using aircraft and large forces of infantry and lorries continued over a wide area. Mrs O’Neill, the caretaker at the fishing lodge, was closely questioned but divulged nothing. In the hope that she would break down, her son, Patrick, was taken into custody; but neither, however, betrayed the volunteers.
The following night General Lucas was transferred to Lombardstown and afterwards to the West Limerick brigade area and from there to Michael Brennan O/C of the East Clare brigade. Lucas was accommodated in various houses in the Clare brigade area but because of widespread activity in the region, it was again necessary to transfer him into the Limerick district. He had been in custody over a month when, on 30 July 1920 as he was being transferred from East Clare to the mid Limerick brigade, he escaped from his escort
near Oola and from there he got back to his own forces.
Following General Lucas’ escape, he reported his impressions of the IRA to his forces in a document, which was later captured. He stated that he was impressed by their standard of discipline, determination and efficiency. It was his opinion that the British forces in Ireland were confronted with a much braver military situation than was generally realised; he also stated that he foresaw a bitter struggle and that it would be necessary to employ a much larger force at British army garrisons, if the IRA was to be defeated.
On the night of 12 August 1920 Lynch attended an IRB meeting in Cork. On the way to Cork he had told Patrick McCarthy who accompanied him, that he did not know the city very well but wanted to see Terence MacSwiney. At Dublin Hill outside the city, Lynch instructed McCarthy to go into the city and make an appointment with the Lord Mayor, Terence MacSwiney.4After some difficulty McCarthy saw MacSwiney and arranged a meeting between the two men at City Hall at 7 o’clock.
The British had raided some mail on 9 August and discovered that some officers were to meet in the City Hall three days later. A Dáil Éireann court for the city was in session in the council chambers when the British military swooped on them. Judges, lawyers, witnesses, prisoners and members of the general public were among the mixed group. The military raiding party surrounded the block of buildings including the City Hall, the Corporation Stores and Cornmarket to the rear of it. With a number of IRA officers Terence MacSwiney had succeeded in getting into the sheds at the back of the City Hall, but was discovered and placed under arrest. All were released with the exception of twelve, which included Liam Lynch and Terence MacSwiney.
As far as the British forces were concerned it was the most important capture of the war in Munster – almost the entire staff of the Cork No. 1 brigade and also some of the most active battalion commandants were taken in. All the prisoners, except Liam Lynch and Michael Leahy, gave correct names and addresses. Liam gave his name as James Casey and his address as 25 Camden Street, Dublin, according to the prison records. Michael Leahy gave his name as Thomas Power. Terence MacSwiney proposed to his fellow prisoners that they would go on hunger-strike. None of the men, including Liam Lynch, though not enthusiastic about using a hunger-strike as a weapon, expressed any disagreement with this proposal.
The prisoners were held at the Cork military detention barracks for one night and the next day they were removed to Cork jail. Here Liam met, for the last time, his old friend and comrade Michael Fitzgerald. His cousin, Tom Crawford was also in prison. Three days later on 15 August the British authorities released all of the prisoners (captured at City Hall) except Terence MacSwiney. He had a harrowing experience and died on 25 October after seventy-five days on hunger-strike.
Had the British authorities realised that they had Liam Lynch in their possession they certainly would not have released him. Two men of the same name were killed around this time. On the night of 4 August a man named James Lynch who was living in Hospital, Co. Limerick was questioned closely by three soldiers but no attempt was made to arrest him. The family knelt down to say the rosary but the soldiers, who had left, returned before the prayers were finished and beckoned to Lynch to go out as they wanted a word with him. He walked about 200 yards from his house when three volleys were fired and he fell dead.
On the night of 22 September 1920 a John Lynch from Kilmallock who was a county councillor and Gaelic League enthusiast was staying in the Exchange Hotel, Dublin. Two officers in British uniform went to his room and about an hour and a half after they had left, a party of police arrived. Later the body of Councillor Lynch was found stretched across the bed. He had been shot at close range by a revolver carrying a silencer. The British authorities discovered that the wrong man had been shot, and in an effort to hush up the murder it was officially announced that no inquest would be permitted and a public funeral would not be allowed. Three separate reports differing in essential points were issued. It was alleged that Councillor Lynch had fired on the crown forces while being arrested and had to be shot in self-defence; but independent doctors stated that he had been shot at close range and that there was no sign of a struggle.
On the night of 15 August when Liam Lynch was released from Cork jail he stayed in the Cork area in the home of Joe O’Connor. Despite the fact that he had been on hunger-strike for four days and was possibly a little weak he was extremely anxious to get back to his own battalion area. When he arrived, he discovered that Patrick Clancy, who had taken part in the Lucas raid, had been killed when the local flying column attacked a British military plane. Following his jail ordeal and news that the authorities hoped to eliminate an IRA member named Lynch, he became even more determined to recruit full-time members for the flying column.
1 Sir Nevil Macready, Annals of an Active Life, Vol. 2, p.428.
2 Letter to Tom – torn fragment. A letter to his mother, 1/8/1921 contains similar sentiments: ‘I would not wish to be born in any other generation but this. It is glorious to live at the present day ...’ (Lynch private family papers).
3 An tÓglach, 1 May 1920.
4 Terence MacSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork, TD for mid-Cork and commandant of Cork No. 1 Brigade. He became Lord Mayor of Cork after his friend and colleague, Tomás MacCurtain had been murdered.
8. Hostilities intensify – death of a true friend
In mid-1920 the British army of occupation in Ireland exceeded in strength the first British expeditionary forces sent to France to fight the Germans in 1914. At this time in Ireland the British army were experiencing difficulty in combating guerrilla warfare.
Liam Lynch set about organising a two weeks’ training course for the volunteers of No. 2 brigade. He outlined to his staff and members of the brigade column his intention of creating an active service unit in each battalion so that a column of eighteen to thirty men could, with the available arms, be capable of combined action for larger operations. At the conclusion of the training course, battalion officers with the column would return to their own commands.
Lynch next planned the capture of the barracks at Mallow, which was housed by the Seventeenth Lancers. At the time two volunteers, Richard Willis and John Bolster, were employed on the maintenance staff, so they kept an eye on their routine movements. The garrison consisted of non-commissioned officers and men, and an officer who normally left the barracks each morning to exercise the horses. From the reports by Willis and Bolster, Lynch and his staff were able to draw up sketch maps of the barracks.
Owen Harold, who had been billeted in a house facing the barracks helped by giving details of the troops’ movements. As the barracks was situated in a narrow street it was difficult for the volunteers to carry out the attack, but they assembled under cover of darkness in the nearby town hall the night before the attack was to take place. On 28 September 1920 Bolster and Willis arrived for work at the usual time, bringing Patrick McCarthy with them as a contractor’s overseer. McCarthy was to hold up the guardroom when the attacking party arrived at the gate. McCarthy, Willis and Bolster were armed with revolvers.
The routine garrison left at the usual time and the ‘contractor’s overseer’ went through the routine of measuring the doors and windows while he waited for his comrades outside to begin the operation. At around 9.30 a.m. Ernie O’Malley knocked on the door beside the main gate. When the sentry pushed back the slide over the peephole O’Malley pushed in an envelope saying, ‘this is for the barrack warden’. The sentry had to open the door in order to take the envelope but O’Malley said that he would personally like to give it to the barrack warden. The sentry hesitated at this unusual request giving O’Malley the opportunity of moving closer to him; he grabbed the sentry’s rifle and wrestled it out of his hands. Paddy O’Brien and another volunteer, immediately behind O’Malley, pushed the door open. Liam Lynch and a small party were on their heels. They made for the guardroom, which was situated a
bout thirty yards from the entrance gate and midway in the block of buildings. On the pretext of examining some defects, McCarthy, Willis and Bolster had been waiting beside the guardroom. They rushed into the room and held up the guard. Inside the main entrance there was an open shed where the senior NCO, Sergeant Gibbs, was supervising the showing of a horse. When he saw the first man of the raiding party he rushed towards the guardroom. One of the volunteers ordered him to halt. He ignored the order and a shot was fired over his head, but still he did not stop. A bullet hit him leaving him mortally wounded at the door. The rest of the people in the guardroom were then marched out on to the square and held there until the remainder of the garrison was collected. First aid was given, under supervision, to the wounded sergeant; the remainder was locked into one of the stables. While this was happening Lynch had given the pre-arranged signal to the three waiting cars which were driven into the yard; all the arms, ammunition and useful equipment was piled into them. (The arms consisted of two Hotchkiss light machine-guns, 27 rifles, a revolver, very light pistols, 4,000 rounds of ammunition and a quantity of bayonets and lances.) They set the stores on fire and intended to burn the entire building, but shortly after the volunteers left, the fire was put out.
When they left the barracks each man carried a rifle and two bandoleers of ammunition. The operation was carried out with speed. The drivers of the three cars, Leo O’Callaghan, Seán and Paddy Healy, took the road to Glashbee where the Ahadillane company took over local protection of the material for the night. All the members of the raiding party moved back to base without any casualties, and the captured arms were later distributed among the men. Lynch had instructed his men before the attack that shots should be fired only when absolutely necessary. Though he regretted the casualty, he was jubilant at the results of the highly successful first action of the flying column. It was the first occasion in Ireland in which an enemy military post was captured and stripped of its arms and equipment in daylight. Willis and Bolster, who joined the column, were trained to operate and maintain the two captured machine-guns by volunteer Matt Flood of Fermoy who had served as a machine-gunner in the British army.
