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MICK FITZ

'Paddy Ahern had gone to Cork and posed,as you know as Fitzgerald's brother so he was apparently in gaol on the Sunday night when Fitzgerald died and he came to Fermoy early on Monday morning. The burial plot was arranged and it was Paddy,who bought and signed for the plot now know as the Republic Plot in Kilcrumper Cemetry. Mick Fitz was the first to be buried there. Paddy came to me and said would we get a bunch of lads to go up and open the grave. We had plenty of volunteers - Bill Desmond of Clancy Street, Sean Casey of Clancy Street, and Moss Keeny who lived in Chapel Square or somewhere near there and myself.They got everything ready and we found out that Fitzgerald's remains would be kept in Cork, some one said St. Peter and St. Paul's Church. The following evening his remains were brought to Fermoy and a bunch of volunteers went to meet the cortege near where Patrick's Avenue is now. We marched down as an escort and there were no military there. Apparently from what I could judge they were confined to barracks, and the R.I.C were even kept off the streets until the funeral when they appeared in force.

'Liam Lynch arrived that night at the church coming in with about twelve or fourteen of the column. I was just inside the door of the church and he tipped me and said, "How are you keeping since?" and I said "Alright". So he went up the church and the lid of the coffin was removed. When he looked down on the face of his friend and comrade Mick Fitz I could see his expreesion. If I ever saw sadnees in a man's face it was in Liam Lynch's face that night.

'After saying some prayers the column then moved down again with the scouts of the local company on watch. They moved down to the Clondulane, Kilbarry direction that night. I stayed in the Gas Company which was one of our hideouts. The men working there, Tommy Burke,John Lubby,Sean Conners were all great to look after us on the run. Of course some stayed in the Hospital that night. One of the real characters in our company was Mick Bowler, who later escaped from Bere Island with me. He christened the hospital, the"Doorela".It was know as that to all the I.R.A. fellows and when we would be talking people might look in amazement when we'd mention the Doorela for they wouldn't have a clue what it was. There was a great nun there, she was a Sr. De Montford. I believe she was from Tipperary, a lady and a real Republican. She used to look after us very well. Some mornings when the lads would go out to have a wash they might leave a revolver under the pillow, she would always come out and say "Would you mind coming in and shifting the artillery". She was a grand character of a nun and she did many a good turn for the I.R.A. fellows,we had her nearly trained. The hide-out was on a ground floor ward. There were nurses there too, one was a Nurse Cronin(late Mrs. Tom O'Neill)and a nurse Walsh.

'As well as the "Doorela" and the Gas House there was a Dugout at Murphy's Cottage on the Duntaheen Road. Here lived Mr.and Mrs.John Murphy and family,and two girls of the family were in the Cumann na mBan. Their brother Dan was in the I.R.A. as well. Statia was a Captain in the Unit and it was this young woman who used to bring in the tea and the sandwiches to the Republican prisoners when they made their appearance before the Judge in Fermoy. Among those was Commandant Mick Fitzgerald. Statia's sister, Margaret was also in the Cumann na mBan and later became Mrs. Matt Flood.

Matt and Margaret Flood

The Dugout was under a small room in the cottage,the bed was here and some one had to get into it and take up a rug and there was a trap door underneath. It was a wet day when it was made. One of the men who worked on it was a father of Jerry Cronin T.D. and when they got down to the yellow morter the bloody house was nearly destroyed. They had to take the earth and morter through the kitchen and out the back, they dumped it in the acre, you see, they scattered it all around.

'It was large enough for a couple of men to climb in and hide. George Power, the Brigade Commandant, was visting the house one night when a party of military arrived outside, Power, tall and all as he was, squeezed himself into the dugout, and Mr. Murphy decided to go out and meet the soldiers. "Anything wrong?" said the old man. "No dad, only we lost one of our soliders up the road a bit",said the officer in charge.

Others who helped in those days were Nelly Hussey,(later Mrs. Sexton),Miss May Power (later Mrs. Foley).Miss Ciss Fitzgerald (Mrs. O'Mahony),Miss Nelly Finn and her sisters Mary Kate, Julia(Mrs. Sweeney) and Ciss (Mrs.Lannin). Margaret Leonard, Ballyclough, Hannah Barry(Mrs.Kiely),Hannah Cunningham,Miss Mame Ahern (Mrs. Kearney,New York), the Twomey sisters, Fanning sisters, Egan sisters, Mary Mc Sweeney,McCurtin Street. There was a shop in McCurtin Street,where the E.S.B. office is situated now, it sold ware and delph and was owned by McSweeneys.This was one of the places where the sandwiches were made and they also supplied teas to prisoners at both the military barracks in the Black and Tan War. There were also Bina Colman(Mrs.M.Mansfield), Mary Kate O'Leary, Miss Mary Bullman, Secretary of Cumann na mBan, Julia Murphy from the Kildorrery direction, Mrs.Elizabeth Rice, President of the Cumann na mBan, Molly Hickey Miss Margaret Leonard, Ballclough, there were also the Sweeney sister in Upper McCurtin Street, Molly and Bridie, later Mrs.A.Hallinan and Mrs.P.Hallinan, and also Margaret O'Brien Corrin, and the Barry sisters Strawhall, Mary Ellen and Hannah. The safe houses included Browns, Cork Road, Finns, Connoly Street, Breen's of Glenabo, Walsh's of Knockanning, Baylor's of Duntaheen Road, who were a protestant family also helped, and vistors to this house included Kathleen Barry(sister of Kevin Barry who was executed). Miss Kathleen O'Connell who was De Valera's secretary and Mary Comerford of Dublin.

There were also Bridie Barry,Glanworth; Kitty Lomasney,Kilworth;Miss Heaphy(Mrs.Brennan) Kilworth; Celia Daly, Bushy Park, Rathcormac; Mgt.Leonard, Glanworth; The Spillane sisters, Kitty and Nelly Corrin; Mary(baby)Brown; Molly, Bridie and Nelly Sweeney; Ann Ahern,(Mrs. Howe) Ballinahash, Rathcormac; Mrs. Burns and her sister Nora, Kilworth; Moll and Ciss Condon Clondulane; Eily Gallagher(Mrs.Bullman,New York); Mary Croinn (Mrs. Clifford); The Gowen sisters, Ballyhindon; The O'Grady sisters, Mary and Lizzy, Watergrasshill; Mary Kate Clancy, Macroney, Kilworth; Mary O'Brien(Mrs.Fenton)Kilworth; The Hegarty family, Ardroe, Glenville.