ROINN COSANTA. BUREAU OF MILITARY HISTORY, 1913-21 ...

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-9-We found him standing at the cottage gate,seeking news of the Rising from those who passed by.When we told him of the surrender, he rushed into thecottage, whipped an old quilt from off his bed,wrapped it round the rifles and we hid them in theheavy undergrowth of Pat Doyle's orchard close by -there to await another day which we thought might comein our time.When we returned to Enniscorthy a few hourslater, we found about a thousand British troopsloitering round the Market Square. The police hadcome out from behind their barricades and were makingarrestswholesale.Arrests went on, day and night, night and day,until every known Volunteer was behind prison bars.Jem and I were not arrested, though we were well knownVolunteers and had paraded in uniform dozens of times.Almost forty years have elapsed since those eventstook place, and we are still wondering how we came tobe overlooked in this Easter round-up.I should like to mention that the Irish NationalVolunteers in the town of Wexford gave every assistanceto the British troops from the moment they landed inthattown.On the Monday following Easter Week, I returnedto my place of employment, and the boss informed me thatmy services were no longer required, so I folded mytent, like the Arabs, and silently stole away, to workfor an army contractor, named Warner, who had thecontract of repairing all the boots for the troops in
-10-the garrison town of Newbridge in the County ofKildare.I was only a few months in this job when Idiscovered that an odd revolver and an occasional riflecould be bought from the hard-up soldier who waswilling to break the seventh commandment for an"honest" pound. But the fight was over, and all myfriends were in prison, so I did not bother, but"shelved" the knowledge of my discovery for futurereference.I did not return home to Enniscorthy until thesummer of 1918, and I found all the old parties-munition working and foraging- in action again andworking at top speed in a new munition dump up in theattic of Antwerp- a pet name for VolunteerHeadquarters.When I told Keegan of my "shelved" Newbridgediscovery, he was jubilant, and the necessary cash wasimmediately forthcoming from the private pocket ofSeamus Rafter. I purchased many rifles and somerevolvers and an occasional clip of .303 ammunition inNewbridge and The Curragh.Sean Gallagher, a native of The Shannon,Enniscorthy, was working in Baltinglass at the time,and occasionally came to Newbridge to collect mypurchases.On one occasion, a native of Naas (a few milesfrom Newbridge), named Tom Traynor, employed in theCo-Op. Stores, Enniscorthy, at the time was home onholidays and called on me at Newbridge, and we cycled
Page 1 and 2: ROINNCOSANTA.BUREAU OF MILITARY HIS
Page 3 and 4: -2-Street, where all the milk churn
Page 5 and 6: -4-Donoghue's stores, Templeshannon
Page 7 and 8: -6-pikes and bombs were distributed
Page 13 and 14: -12-and, after a journey of many mi
Page 15 and 16: -14-thispost.The plan of attack was
Page 17 and 18: -16-Joe McMahon and I decided to ra
Page 19 and 20: -18-.45 revolver into his mouth, cu
Page 21 and 22: -20-still and treasure it with prid
Page 23: The scene for the third and final a

ROINN COSANTA. BUREAU OF MILITARY HISTORY, 1913-21 ...

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