Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 7 April 2022

Journeys to a Free State: The Capture of the Upnor

The turbulence behind the Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty sides took a darker turn when across February, March and April 1922, the IRA, particularly Anti-Treaty elements, began to seize sizable amounts of weapons from evacuating British forces.

On 29 March 1922, the Upnor, which was a British arms ship, was captured by members of the Cobh IRA company. It was departing Cork Harbour with its second load of arms, which amounted to 400 rifles, 40 machines guns, hundreds of thousands of rounds of .303 ammunition and numerous crates of high explosive. A plan was devised to capture the ship. Michael Burke, Officer in Command of Cobh IRA wrote an account of the raid on the ship.

In March 1922, Michael was in Cork attending a parade in honour of the late Tomás MacCurtain when he was informed that the Brigade Officer in Command, Seán Hegarty, wanted to see him before he returned to Cobh. He met him and the Brigade Staff (Cork No I Brigade) when he was told that a British War Department vessel, named Upnor, was landing warlike stores in Haulbowline for delivery at Woolwich Arsenal. Michael was told to make arrangements for her capture at sea. After her capture she was to be taken to Ballycotton where she would be unloaded. The Brigade would arrange for the unloading and transport of the cargo.

Michael was also advised to contact one of his men in Haulbowline who would let him know when the Upnor was putting to sea. He was then to phone the All-For-Ireland Club, Emmet Place, Cork where the Brigade Staff were standing by. He outlines in his account; “Returning to Cobh, I detailed a man to get in touch with our representative in Haulbowline and inform him that he was to send me word when the Upnor was ready to leave, whilst towing a barge. I then organised a crew to man the boat which was to proceed after the Upnor. Several of the men I recruited were not members of the IRA”.

A week or so elapsed and then word was sent that on 29 March the Upnor was sailing at 11am that day. She was known to carry hundreds of rifles, machine guns and many hundred boxes of ammunition, Verey lights and suchlike war stores. Michael got in touch with Brigade HQ immediately and soon a car came from Cork with about fifteen Cork IRA men, amongst whom were Mick Murphy, Tom Crofts and ‘Sando’ Donovan, all Brigade Officers. Mick Murphy carried a Lewis gun.

With the Cork men was a sea captain named Collins who was to take over the captaincy of the Upnor when she was captured. He was not an IRA man. Arrangements previously made to commandeer a boat to follow the Upnor to sea did not materialise but luckily the tugboat Warrior had berthed at Deepwater Quay, Cobh that day about noon.

Michael and his crew boarded her and found the captain had gone ashore. Putting his own crew aboard they went in search of the captain. He describes: “We could not put to sea until we located him; if we put to sea and he returned to the quay to find his boat missing he would report the fact to the Admiralty and the alarm would be given”. Michael describes that they searched hotels and shipping offices in the town and eventually found him in the very last office we tried. They took him prisoner and placed him under an armed guard in the Rob Roy Hotel.

The time was now gone 2pm and the Upnor had at least two hours or more of a start on them. Michael and his crew gave chase. He describes: “We got aboard the Warrior with Captain Collins in charge of her and made for the open sea. Our lads worked so hard on the engines that the original crew, who were aboard, were afraid the boilers would burst and they offered to do the job themselves. We agreed to this”.

Leaving Cobh Harbour Michael told Captain Collins to strike a course for Waterford. He had no idea of what was afoot and did as he was told. When they got outside the harbour there was no sign of the Upnor so he asked the Captain to alter course for Portsmouth. He did this. They sailed on the Portsmouth course for several hours and just as dusk was falling, they sighted the Upnor and her escort of two armed trawlers.

The trawlers were about two miles from the Upnor and in front of the Upnor. She was making slow speed as she was towing a barge. Michael describes that they closed in on her; “One of our lads shouted to her captain to stop, saying we had an important message for the captain at the same time waving an official looking envelope. She stopped. We lowered a boat and a few of us went aboard her. We produced our guns and held up the captain and any of the crew in sight. Mick Murphy ordered the captain, at the point of a Lewis gun, to leave the bridge”.

Meanwhile the Warrior had pulled alongside the Upnor and a further party of lads came aboard the latter. Darkness had now fallen. They were from thirty to forty miles off the Irish coast and the British trawler escort had gone ahead oblivious of the fact that the Upnor with its precious cargo had changed hands. The journey to Ballycotton was uneventful. Michael details: “We tied up at the pier at about 4am on 30 March 1922 and the task of unloading commenced. There were upwards of one hundred lorries of all kinds and the same number of men, all from the Cork Brigade, waiting to unload and take away the cargo and it was not until about 6pm that the last lorry left the pier”.

Just as they were preparing to leave Ballycotton on the last lorry a grey shape loomed up at sea. It was the British man-of-war searching for the missing Upnor. Apparently the Upnor’s escorts tried to make contact with her and failing to do so informed the British naval authorities that something was amiss.

Caption:

1145a. Picture of Upnor, Cork Harbour, c.1922 (picture: Cork City Library).

1 April 2022, “In February, Independent Councillor Kieran McCarthy warned that damaged quay wall by the South Gate Bridge would need to be repaired urgently ahead of any construction work on the events centre, City Hall engineers attend site of quay wall damage in Cork”, City Hall engineers attend site of quay wall damage in Cork, City Hall engineers attend site of quay wall damage in Cork (echolive.ie)

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 24 March 2022

Journeys to a Free State: Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, 1921-22

Cork’s institutions such as its hospitals offer another lens to look at the life and times of Corkonians amidst the challenges of war during 1921-1922. Cork hospitals usually submitted their annual reports to newspapers such as the Cork Examiner one hundred years ago and their publication provide an insight into their workings and challenges. Indeed, without the annual publication of their AGM reports it is difficult to reconstruct their stories and institutional evolution. Many of the physical paper copies of reports that would have been given to shareholders have been destroyed over the past century.

The annual general meeting of the Cork Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital was held at noon on Saturday 11 March 1922. In 1868 at the age of 24 Henry MacNaughton-Jones founded a 30-bed Cork Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, in a building at the western end of Sheares Street. He was also physician there between 1868 and 1882. In the first eleven years, the hospital treated over 2,000 intern and 20,000 extern patients. A new hospital building was constructed 200 yards from existing building in 1895-97. Designed by architect James McMullen it has an elaborate ruabon brick with limestone dressings design. The foundation stone was laid by the Mayor of Cork, Patrick Meade on 29 or 30 December 1895. In today’s context the building is still owned by the HSE but its services were distributed to other hospitals in Cork in the late 1980s.

In March 1922, well-known Cork merchant Mr William T Green presided at the AGM with the secretary being C J Lane. The report and statement of accounts for the year 1921 were read. It was noted that it had been a difficult and anxious year in many ways. The hospital had, in common with other fellow institutions suffered from surrounding conditions of war, unrest and instability. Financial questions had caused grave anxiety to the committee, while the insecurity or uncertainty of railway travelling arrangements had caused great inconvenience. Continued high prices of provisions, coal, and other necessaries also rendered more difficult the justification of expenditure.

A total of 2,273 patients received treatment at the extern department involving some 10,000 individual attendances, while 508 were admitted to the wards as intern patients. The report noted that the high number of individual attendances—proved the necessity for such a hospital which had done, so much for patients and especially for children in the city.

For many years extern patients were received and treated gratuitously. In 1920 the committee believed that many of those, who could afford to do so, would gladly contribute voluntarily some small sum towards the working expenses of the extern department, from which they received benefit. Facilities were, therefore, provided for the reception of small voluntary donations, and the committee were content that the “donation box” had contributed during the year the substantial sum of just over £93. The report notes: “The voluntary contributions to the donation box proved that those who came for treatment didn’t wish to be treated as objects of charity. They contributed something towards the upkeep of the hospital, and that showed their independence of spirit, which was a very gratifying feature”.

The revenue from all sources, including subscriptions, donations, and payments from paying patients, amounted to £5,326, while the expenditure was £3.082. The year begun with a debt to the bank of £107 and ended with a credit balance of £137. A donation of £534 from the Welfare of the Blind Fund was received through the Local Government Board. Another donation of £259 was received as a donation from the Prince of Wales Fund.

The annual subscription list has suffered sadly by the removal of several generous subscribers. It was earnestly hoped that others will come forward to fill the vacant places, and to keep up or augment this, the only stable source of hospital revenue.

The Committee were very grateful for legacies of £99 and £50, received through the representatives of the Mr Thomas Bones and Mr Samuel Kingston, respectively. Both these very welcome, contributions have been added to the reserve fund of the hospital. In considering the question of hospital finances, the Committee venture to hope that sooner or later would be possible to re-establish the Hospital Saturday and other annual collections, which for many years provided a steady source of income for all the hospitals without pressing upon any individual.

Warm thanks were given to the surgical staff for their constant and untiring work in the hospital. In particular the committee thanked the Matron, Mrs Crofts, and the nursing staff under her for their loyal services. Ill health and advancing years led Mrs Crofts to retire in 1921. She had been associated with the institution from its earliest days, for forty years and much of its success could be attributed to her capacity and work ethic.

 The vacancy caused was being filled by the promotion of Staff Nurse Murphy, who for the previous seven years had been associated with Mrs Crofts in the hospital. She, as the report highlights had “won the approval of all those responsible for its management and proved her ability to fill the position of matron”.

Caption:

1143a. Former Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, Western Road, Cork, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy).

Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,

Cork Independent, 17 March 2022

Journeys to a Free State: Deputations and Expectations

The pro Treaty rally hosted by Michael Collins on Cork’s Grand Parade on Sunday 12 March was deemed a success. The following day, Monday 13 March, before taking the afternoon train back to Dublin, Michael took the time with Diarmuid Fawsitt from the Provisional Government’s Ministry of Economics to visit and take a tour of the Ford factory.

The Cork Examiner describes a 9am start. Michael was met with an enthusiastic reception along the route to the factory. Even the quay workers paused to cheer his presence. At the Ford works, the party were received by the factory’s managing Director Edward Grace. He showed Michael the extent of the works including the machinery, the moulding shops and casting shops. In the casting room Michael cast four motor-car cylinders. On the short journey returning to the city centre, Michael was recognised and was acknowledged by labourers working on roads in south docklands.

At Turner’s Hotel on Oliver Plunkett Street Michael Collins received several deputations. The proceedings were in private, but the names of the groups were published in the Cork Examiner. Not only was the lobbying of support for the Treaty, but there was also a job of work to do to resolve economic and social challenges, which faced cities such as Cork.  The city had 8,000 people unemployed with a large proportion of whom were artisans, mechanics and unskilled labourers.

A deputation of the Legion of Irish Ex-Servicemen waited on Michael Collins. The position of the ex-service men under the Irish government was gone into, the matters touched upon relating to award granted the dependents of the men killed in the First World War and the question of civil employment.

A deputation on behalf of the Unpurchased Tenants Association urged Michael to complete the land purchase programme and directed attention to the action of certain landlords in threatening bankruptcy proceedings against the tenants. They also urged a temporary reduction pending the completion of land purchase.

Mr George Nason, President of the Cork and District Labour Council, brought matters to the notice of Michael Collins affecting the interests of the trades and the workers generally, with special reference to the unemployment problem.

A deputation on behalf of the Evicted Tenant’s Association was also received in the course of the day by Michael.

John Kelleher (Lyons and Company), John Biggane (Munster Arcade), John Cashman (Cashman & Sons), Michael J Mahony (John Daly & Co), Patrick Crowley (Moore and Co.), William Roche (Roches Stores), and John Rearden, Solicitor, appeared as a deputation about the question of rebuilding the premises destroyed in the Burning of Cork, and to clear up certain remarks regarding the advancing of money for the purpose or rebuilding. Some building owners and architects were ready to start their plans.

The latter remarks were a reference to a meeting of representatives of Cork Corporation and Michael Collins on 22 February 1922. At this meeting Michael noted that the Provisional Government would be in a position to arrange to grant to the extent of finance of £250,000 over a period of time. It was suggested that a sum that a sum of £50,000 would be made available in late Spring 1922 to five or six firms that were ready to pursue contracts. On the 4 March, a Cork Corporation sub committee of nine members was appointed to formulate a scheme for the administration of the available grants and discussion began on the vouching of the claims and the distribution of funding. Diarmuid Fawsitt represented the Provisional Government. By early April 1922, a sum of £10,000 was placed at the disposal of the committee. The money was to be placed to the credit of the City Treasurer.

Michael Collins was interviewed shortly before his departure from Cork on 13 March by the Cork Examiner and asked for his impressions of the Cork meeting. He called the rally a great success, which he deemed the further highlighting of support for the Treaty. He noted “The demonstration was unexpected in its dimensions and enthusiasm. The people came out of their own free will to express their feelings, and then came out without canvassing and without organisation. Of course, I knew that Cork was for us. I knew I was as good an interpreter of the desires of the people of Cork, as anyone, and I am glad my interpretation was confirmed…and everywhere I have gone there has only been approval and assent of the action of the plenipotentiaries”.

Michael continued to speak about how the crowd was not daunted by the gun shots fired at the rally; “The thing that was most marvellous was the coolness displayed by the women – old and young – when a few young men fired shots. I do not blame the men who pulled the triggers. I do blame the people who organised those young irresponsibles, for those people, expected to get a stampede. They know how easy it is to create confusion at a meeting where 50,000 people are assembled, and they got those unfortunate puppets to fire those shots in the full knowledge that if there had been a stampede women and little children would have been trampled under foot. But there was no stampede, everyone stood still, calm, and confident, and the. magnificent altitude of the people prevailed against the intentions of the disruptionists…The will of the people must prevail in spite of these things”.

Caption:

1141a. Michael Collins at St Francis Church, Broad Lane, Cork, on Sunday, 12 March 1922, before the rally at the Grand Parade; (left to right) Diarmuid Fawsitt, economic advisor during the Treaty negotiations; Commandant Cooney, Michael Collins, T.D. Padraig O’Keeffe T.D., Fr Leo Sheehan, Very Rev. Fr Edmund Walsh and General Seán Mac Eoin (picture: Cork City Library).