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TAKING OVER THE POSTS

From that time then we were all kept in readiness for the taking over of the posts from British military. Up to this time they were at full strength but by the time we were taking over they were reduced to about a battalion between both barracks .It was sometime about the end of January that took we took over Moorepark.This was first place to be taken over. We marched out to it from Fermoy and in the front gate.There was only a small party of military there and they handed over to us .We took over from them then and we mounted guard that night. The place was in excellent condition, the huts and everything were left there, bedding and everything. They didn't leave any arms though, we had our arms. The Tri -colour was hoisted of course at Moorepark. We were about a company strong, Conny Leddy was actually in charge, Lar Condon was second in command going in there. We started fairly extensive training of all types and we had plenty of room for it. It was taken over about a fortnight when we got word from Dublin that was a convoy on its way down with about fifty four uniforms. That was the first of them. I was told I was second in command of this outfit anyway. They were known as the Brigade Headquarters Guards. Bill Luddy of Mitchelstown, he was an ex-sergeant in Irish Gaurds, a great instructor, and myself took over the lads training and it was nearly all Guards type of training they got.They were as smart as any regiment. Well this crowd were dressed up in the uniforms then and we came into Fermoy and were billeted in different houses in the town for about four nights. Then we marched up Oliver Plunckett Hill and took over the Fermoy Aerodrome, two days later we took over the Old Barracks and the next day we took over the New Barracks. They were all taken over about the month of Febuary twenty two.

During the Truce we captured a Model T.Ford in which two Black and Tans were riding around the area. I feel they were deserters or something but they were up to no good anyway. When we captured them on the road to Clondulane they had two rifles and four revolvers in the car.Well, we took them to the hospital and we imprisoned the in a celler there. Billy Roche and Sean Casey were in charge of their confinement, as far as I can remember and they used to exercise the prisoners in the field behind the hospital. One fellow was tough and I'd say it would take a lot to make him talk but the other one just blubbed. They were suspicious of us and I think they felt we might shoot them but they were sentenced to be taken to Rosslare and put on the boat for England.Theywere told they'd be shot if they came back and the tough one shouted to us "GOOD LUCK PADDY" I suppose he felt he was lucky to get away with his life.

Well ,we used the Ford car ourselves after that and one night we were driven to Kilworth by Kickham Brien and had a few drinks. Well I must have had a few too many for I insisted on driving back to camp and I hit the gate pier on the way in. Jim Coss was OC Transport at that time and was very angry about the damage but Kickham never gave the game away. Of course we were young men and full of high spirits which kept us going I think .When we would have a few drinks in town we'd drive back to the hospital we'd drive the cars inside the streetlamps on the path and swing out on to the road again .We used often play jokes on each other. When we took over the military Hospital, where O'Learys the Builders are now, there was a lad on sentry go Mickey Dunne ,and the POST used to go up to the mortury door. Well Bill Desmond said "I`ll give him a bit of a fright`` and he put on a white sheet and in the dark of night walked out of the shadow of the dead house. Well Dunne was a tough young fella right enough, for didn't he go down on one knee and point the rifle at the 'ghost' and said "halt! dead or alive if ye don't halt I'll give it to ye"

What was it like marching into those great places which were part of the Empire? I asked Matt and he replied. 'Well to be honest about it I think we felt a bit proud about marching in and taking over. But the proudest part of the lot was - there wasn't a terrible big congregation of people to see us taking over - but a party moved with us from the Square of Fermoy up to the Aerodrome led by the late Liam Fitzgerald - that's Liam MacGearailt. When the Union Jack came down and the Tri-Colour was hoisted there, they gave us a round of applause. That stirred up a small bit of pride in us too that we had raised our own old flag up in the Fermoy Aerodrome.

'The barracks were big places capable of holding two battalions, about two thousand men and we numbered about a hundred, all ranks. This was of course before the split, We weren't long in occupation when the split came but more about that later'.