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SPY ON TRIAL

Mag Quinn's Corner was just above the car on the left.
Lawrenson's shop is now boarded up.

He asked me where was the bowling match. You see Charley Paye was to throw a fellow named Cox, who was a Sergeant Major in the Royal Engineers and who hailed from Cork City. He used to throw with the lads and mix with them and even have a few drinks with them. Well, when Longhurst asked me where the score was I told him it was down the Courthouse road instead of Rathealy Road. Off he went and I followed. At the Avondhu Club he met someone and he must have told him there was no bowling match. So he went into the club and was having a game of billiards when Jonny Fanning walked in and captured him. Myself and Sean got hold of a pony and trap belonging to a friendly local and we took Longhurst to Hickeys at Badgers Hill. There the column was formed up and we moved on with it. he was eventually tried in Mournabbey. David Bratchford who worked in the British Military Hospital, and who was an ex-Army man was sent for and he had no hesitation in coming to give evidence.

The British Military Hospital

Whether it was ever appreciated or not I dont know. I think Paddy o'Brien defended Longhurst at the trial. What was decided was that he was entitled to help his own. So he was deported to England. George Power hired a car in Mallow as Dave Bratchford had to be back on duty that night, just in case they suspected anything. When I arrived in Fermoy later that night I put a letter under Longhurst's door addressd to his wife saying he'd pass through Fermoy Railway Station the following night on the Rosslare (train) and if she attempted yo bring the police he'd be shot on the train. She didn't but she went up to see him alright.

Myself and George Power went to Ahern's in Bank (Ceannt) Street and George's father came down there, and naturally he was a bit upset, because if the lad was caught, he'd have been shot.. there was no cod about it. George Power had eacaped from both the military and police when he was surprised at his home on the 1st of april when he was given permission to go upstairs and collect some clothing. He escaped through a bedroom window on Monument Hill. What I admired about George was, when his father did abuse him, he never answered, just just smiled. Then old George turned to me and said "I'm surprised at you... You're a trained man coming here".

"I wonder if it was the part I played in taking of Longhurst was responisible for being invited to join the Brigade Column", said Matt Flood to me as we sat talking in his home at McDonagh Terrace. "The Column was formed on the 15th of September 1920 as far as I can remember and the men were, Mick Fitzgearld, Lar Condon, Dan Daly, Jonny Fanning and myself from the Fermoy Company. Then from Castletownroche came Dan Shinnick, Jim O'Neill, Jerry Donovan and Michael O'Halloran. Millstreet were represented I think by Paddy and Sean Healy, Charville by Paddy O' Brien, Tom Coughlan, Sean Cronin, Newmarket, Dan Brown and Kiskeam by Sean Moylan. The headquaters was in Mrs. Hickey's in Badger Hill in Glenville. Clancy would have been Column leader but he got killed a few days before. They had attacked soldiers guarding an aeroplane that was grounded outside Kanturk. Liam Lynch was OC and George Power was Battalion Quarter Master.

While I'd say East Limerick was the first Active Service Unit to be formed, I'd say ours, Cork Number 2, would have been the second. Ernie O'Malley, who was attached to the HQ staff was in charge of training and the feeling we had about O'Malley was that he was a great solider, along with being a good leader and fighter. I was to see this later. In an ambush the usual thing was that fellows took up positions standing behind the ditch or barricade, but he actually took up a prone position on top of the ditch with a Winchester repeating rifle and he stayed there while the action lasted"

"There's a story told about O'Malley's timing, I'm not sure but I think it was in some part of Tipperary. They were surrounded in this house but there was a back door to it. He called to this Kiely lad who was with him and he said,"Come on, we'll rush them at the back". They broke through and were running across the field when O'Malley said to Kiely,'When I say get down, get down good and lively; then when I say get up; run as fast as you ever ran in your life'. A volley came behind and they dropped for cover, then it was up again, run and then down on command. That went on several times and they escaped. I'm telling you the story to give you an idea of the man. Who could have thought like that under fire? To think...to try and time how long it would take a man to pull the bolt and take aim, You see it would only be seconds. But it worked. It seems a bit far-fetched but it happened'.