The Rescue of Donnachada MacNiallghuis

(Irish War of Independence - First Cork Brigade)

One of the earliest and most successful prison rescues was that of Donnachada MacNiallghuis from Cork Jail on November 11, 1918.

A native of County Donegal, MacNiallghuis was a volunteer officer attached to the Cork Brigade. An expert tool maker, he had studied mechanical and electrical engineering, and acted as armourer for the city companies. On the morning of November 4, 1918, five R.I.C. members raided his lodgings at the home of Denis Kelleher, 28 Leitrim Street, and attempted to arrest him. MacNiallghuis resisted arrest and, in the desperate struggle which followed, Head Constable Clarke was shot and seriously wounded. MacNiallghuis was finally overpowered upon the arrival of armed reinforcements.

The wounded Head Constable was in danger of death, and if he died the fate of MacNiallghuis was certain, unless he could be rescued.  When his comrades came to consider how the rescue attempt was to be made they were faced with a dilemma. After his arrest MacNiallghuis had been taken to Cork Jail, together with Denis Kelleher who had gone to his assistance at the time of the raid. Practically nothing was known of the circumstances inside the prison, except that there was an armed military guard always on duty. The Volunteers had no contact with any person in or employed at Cork Jail.

On the night of November 4, a hastily summoned meeting of the available members of the Brigade Council was held at the house of the acting Brigade Commandant, Sean O'Hegarty, who was in charge of the operation. Within six days arrangements for the rescue had been drawn up.

Cork Jail - the scene of the escape.

The prison was surrounded by a high wall, standing clear of the buildings within. The entrance was closed on the outside by a pair of heavy iron-bound doors, in one of which was a small wicket. The outer doors gave access to a small space closed on the inner side by a pair of heavy wrought-iron gates, which extended the full height of the archway. Opening off the space between the two gates, and to the left was the visitors' waiting room, in which a warder was always on duty.

Untried prisoners were allowed one visit of ten minutes' duration each day between 10 and 11am or between 3 and 4pm. Not more than six persons were allowed in the waiting room at the same time. The visiting cell was situated near the centre of the prison and was approached from the main gate by a path running inside the outer wall and past the main gate into the prison buildings at which the military sentry was on duty.

Sean Scanlan visited MacNiallghuis on the Wednesday, and whilst shaking hands  across the barrier managed to pass him a small note outlining the rescue plans. On the afternoon of Monday, November 11 at 3.25 p.m. two Volunteers, Joe Murphy and Martin Donovan, presented themselves at the prison gate and asked to see MacNiallghuis. They were admitted through the wicket to the waiting room and the gate locked behind them. Their request was telephoned to the main prison buildings by the warder on duty, and they sat down to wait. Five minutes after the first pair had been admitted, a second pair of Volunteers, Christy McSweeney and Paddy Healy, presented themselves at the main gate and asked to see a prisoner from Tipperary, whose name they had. They were admitted to the waiting room. Three minutes later, a third pair of Volunteers, Frank McCarthy and Jerome Donovan, walked to the main gate, asked for another prisoner and were admitted. So far all was well and according to plan—there were no other visitors.

Meanwhile the remainder of the rescue party took up their allotted positions in the neighbourhood of the prison, watching carefully for the time when, in accordance with their instructions, they should hold up all persons approaching the prison. The last pair had been five minutes inside the prison when the outside party came into action. Paddy Varien cut the telephone wires leading into the prison and the isolation of the building was completed.

Inside the prison a warder came down from the main buildings to take Joe Murphy and Martin Donovan to the visiting cell. MacNiallghuis was brought in on the other side of the cell and locked in. The visiting cell had a double barrier between the prisoner and his visitors, and between the two barriers the warder walked up and down during the interviews. The visitors spoke to the prisoner across the barriers. After chatting with him for a few minutes they bade him goodbye. The warder inserted the key in the lock to let them out and in a flash they were upon him; he was down and unconscious without more than a groan. The key turned in the lock; the door opened. Immediately MacNiallghuis was over the barrier into the visitors side of the cell and through the gate into the prison grounds. A revolver was passed to him, and all three started to walk at an easy pace towards the main gate, by the path inside the prison wall. Once past the sentry all three ran towards the main gate. In the waiting room below the four volunteers waited until five minutes had elapsed after the first pair were taken to the visiting cell. Then they suddenly closed on the warder, felled him and disconnected the telephone. They tied the warder securely and took his keys. Through to the outside filed the whole party, locking the gates behind them. With all the prison gates locked nobody could get in or out.  The rescue party had all the keys—and MacNiallghuis was again outside the prison walls.

Elaborate arrangements had been made for getting the rescued man safely away. However, it had not been possible to convey to MacNiallghuis the arrangements made for his getaway from the vicinity of the jail. Amidst the confusion a volunteer had left a bicycle standing outside the prison gate. MacNiallghuis asked him if the bicycle was for him. The man was uncertain, as he was not one of those detailed to cover the getaway. MacNiallghuis mounted the bicycle and rode away in the direction of Thomas Davis Bridge.

For several hours he was completely lost; he had eluded not alone his captors but also his rescuers! He eventually turned back and cycled near to the prison entrance again only to find that everybody had left. He eventually met with two volunteers, Dominic Sullivan and Florrie O'Donoghue and, travelling on foot and avoiding the roads as much as possible, arrived next morning at O'Mahony's, Berrings. There men from the Sixth Battalion took over his protection.

Head Constable Clarke, although seriously wounded, eventually made a good recovery. MacNiallghuis continued in the service of Cork No.1 Brigade and took part in many activities, including the Dripsey ambush. He died at Rosses Point, Co. Sligo, on December 15, 1954.