ROINN COSANTA. - The Bureau of Military History 1913-1921

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21.the provisional government. Against the proposal were Wm. J.Kelly, Archie McDonnell, John Ogle. This difference of opinionwas not the cause of any bad feeling between officers and itdid not produce any ill-feelings afterwards. We divided fairlyall the staff rifles, arms and equipment. A courier was sent toDraperatown to explain the situation to Major Morris. and DanielMcKenna. This courier brought us back a sum of money to coverour pay as officers and we used this money to cover the expensesof keeping men on the run with us from outside areas.Later on, as so many could not live at home or could notbe safely put up in quiet districts on the run, a camp wasstarted in Co. Donegal where all those men could go and undergoa course of training for operations later on in the Six Countiesarea. During this period also arms and ammunition were beingsent into Northern Ireland. Willie John Kelly, Archie McDonnellTom Kelly and a lot of men from Dungannon area went into Co.Donegal and joined up with Charlie Daly on the anti-treaty side.In May 1922, a general rising in the Six Counties wasplanned for. I am somewhat vague about the sequence of eventshere but I know that we had orders to cut all communicationsand take up the railway line. We did this, and soon afterwardsthere was a big round up of all Volunteers and republicans allover the Six Counties area. A very large number of people wasarrested in many places. Five or six were arrested in Pomeroyarea. We were all on the run and had been so for months at thistime. In Carrickmore we were able to move about without muchdanger, but we could not sleep at home. I kept moving aboutthrough the battalion area keeping things going.upto July 1922.On 12th July 1922 Hugh O'Rourke and I procured a horse andcart and started for Granagh near Plumbridge to take a load ofammunition to Greencastle. At Granagh there was a large dumpof arms stored which had been sent in from Donegal some timepreviously for use in Northern Ireland. When we arrived at
22.Cranagh we were met by a man named Tracy who Was captain of thelocal company. We got 25 rifles, 35 revolvers, 1 Thompsonmachine gun and a lot of ammunition loaded on the cart andreturned to Greencastle where we dumped the stuff. We hadonly dumped the stuff in Greencastle when a severe raid of thedistrict took place. The following week Hugh O'Rourke andanother activenamedVolunteerMcCreesh, were captured in around-up. The only officers left in the area now were JamesMcElduff, Pat McKenna and myself. On the first Sunday inAugust I was arrested whilst attending Mass at Creggan Chapel.I was taken to Pomeroy- Col. Lowery's house -and got a goodhammering. Two days later I was transferred to Cookstown.In Cookstown I met O'Rourke and many others of my comradeswho had been arrested earlier. They did not know me when Iwas put amongst them - I was so badly beaten up.After a week in Cookstown I was taken out of the workhousewhere we were imprisoned for an interrogation by the CountyInspector, who asked me what had happened to me. I told himthat the Pomeroy Specials had beaten me and stolen £9 from me;also other religious objects. He asked did I know GearoidO'Sullivan; I said Ididnot; the Co. Inspector then told me thatO'Sullivan was In the pay of the Russian Government. Two dayslater I received my £9 and I was well treated in the CookstownWorkhouse. There were about fifteen of us prisoners there.Whilst in Cookstown one day, O'Hagan- the spy- turned up inSpecials' uniform and came to me saying: "I will not give youaway, Sean". O'Rourke and MeCreesh were charged for the raidon Pomeroy Barracks; O'Hagan proved the ease against them.Each got five years' penal servitude. I was not Charged.After O'Rourke and McCreesh were taken to Belfast for trial,we were taken to Derry prison; after a month in Derry we wereagain transferred, this time to the Argenta, a prison boat inBelfast Lough. I was released from Larne Workhouse on 18thDecember 1924.
Page 2 and 3: STATEMENT BY SEEAN CORR, 27 DINGLE
Page 4 and 5: 3.On the Sunday before the election
Page 6 and 7: 5.At the General Election in Decemb
Page 8 and 9: 7.police were reported to have been
Page 10 and 11: 9.he was and he said 'Catholic', so
Page 12 and 13: 11.in same shop there was a trunk o
Page 14 and 15: l3.officers and men on the run were
Page 16 and 17: 15.and another at Aldrummond. A div
Page 18 and 19: 17.time on the night of 18th March
Page 20 and 21: 19.men in the car knocked at the do
Page 24: 23Before finishing these memoirs I

ROINN COSANTA. - The Bureau of Military History 1913-1921

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