Cathal J. Kickham
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100 Years Ago: February 1921
In February 1921, the War of Independence continued. By February martial law–that in early January had been extended from Cork to Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford–began to result in more arrests and over crowding in the Waterford jail. The local newspapers were filled with reports of men and several women in Waterford and New Ross being arrested for having seditious material in their possession. In most instances the persons arrested refused to acknowledge the court marital courts. One of the more unusual arrests took place in early February. Mr. John Murphy, U.D.C., New Ross was arrested for failing to attach to the back of his front door the names of the persons of his household as required by martial law. It was reported that, “[t]he military, before arresting Mr. Murphy, referred him to the requirements of the proclamation, many copies of which had been posted up on his window a week previous.” (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 4 Feb. 1921, p. 5).
As the Crown forces went out on patrol it was reported that for protection against attack the patrols often had prisoners in their vehicles. One of the human shields was Cathal J. Kickham the nephew of fenian Charles Kickham (1826-1886) of Tipperary. Cathal J. Kickham was residing at Bushey Park, London and among an undisclosed number of Irishmen arrested in London. “He has been transferred to the Irish Bastille—Mountjoy—and since his arrest he has been taken around Dublin City as a hostage for the protection of patrols.” (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 4 Feb. 1921, p. 4).
It wasn’t just the Crown patrols that continued to be under attack. The police barracks at Mullinavat, Co. Kilkenny were again attacked during the night of the 16th-17th of January 1921. The police and Crown forces in the barracks reported that rifle fire was directed on the barracks from the loft of a building “immediately opposite.” The loft belonged to James Ryan, of Mullinavat. Colonel Cameron, commander of the 16th Infantry Brigade, Military Governor, ordered the destruction of the loft on the grounds that James Ryan “was bound to have known of the rebel attacks and that he gave no information to the police or military authorities.” A notice of the destruction was served on James Ryan, telling him of the order, the reasons for the destruction and providing him with one hour’s notice to “clear out” any valuables, foodstuffs, corn or hay, but not furniture. The loft was destroyed on the 28th of January, but it was not officially communicated to the newspapers by the military authorities until February. (Kilkenny People, Sat. 12 Feb. 1921).
At the same time the military authorities were officially communicating with the newspapers concerning the retributive destruction of private property in Mullinavat, Crown forces on the 10th of February went to “various districts around Mullinavat” and arrested the following 11 men: Wm. Raftis, Ballyluskey; Wm. Aylward, Knockmoylan; Patrick McDonald, Ballinlea; Edward Walsh, Glendel; Michael Hoban, do; Ml. Phelan, Clonassey; James Phelan, do.; Rd. Kennealy, Ballynooney; John Cashin, do.; Jas. Malone, Redacres; and Thos, Duggan, Clonassey. The men were brought to Mullinavat police barracks, where they were interrogated at length. The following listed 5 men were detained, and the other 6 men were released—Rd. Kennealy, Wm. Raftis, Patk. McDonald, Ed Walsh, and John Cashin. The detained 5 men were removed later to Woodstock. (Munster Express, Sat. 12 Feb. 1921, p. 5) A week later Richard Kenneally, Ballynooney, was released. (Munster Express, Sat. 1921, p. 5)
As we have previously reported the empty barracks in Glenmore were burned on Easter Saturday night in 1920 by local Company C of the I.R.A. (See, https://glenmore-history.com/the-glenmore-barracks/ ). In February 1921 there were no reports in local newspapers of raids or arrests in Glenmore, however, it was reported that “[a] postman carrying a bag of mail between the village of Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny, and Aylwardstown railway station was held up by masked and armed men who seized the bag.” (Munster Express, Sat. l2 Feb. 1921, p. 5) It is believed that this action was performed by local I.R.A. members to discover and disrupt any reports to Crown authorities concerning local I.R.A. men or their activities.
As the jails became filled with men and women who were arrested for breaching the martial law. Under the imposed martial law there was a curfew, attendance at funerals was limited, it was an offence to have nationalist material, and as highlighted above it was an offence not to post a list of household members. Articles began to be published concerning the difficulty of visiting the prisoners in the Waterford City jail at Ballybricken.
“Any day one passes by Ballybricken prison one is treated to the spectacle of a queue of persons—men and women—lined up outside the jail gates, wearily waiting for admission to visit some loved one, or friends incarcerated within for some political offence—imaginary or real. If one perchance repasses the same way an hour or two (perhaps three hours) later, one frequently sees the same anxious faces still waiting there. Perhaps if one called around again the afternoon when the final bar is put up to mark the close of visits for that day, one will see many of those same people turning away dejectedly to seek the comfort of a few kind words from friends elsewhere in the city, for they have been unable to see their relatives that day, and must wait overnight in order to seek a successful entrance to the sombre citadel of punishment on the following day. Many of these people come from twenty to sixty miles to visit their friends; they are not all blessed with a superabundance of the world’s goods; and the cost of needlessly waiting over in the city for a night is sometimes more than their limited finances will allow. Several of these people have made complaints about this. The visiting hours are from 10 a.m. to 12:30, and from 2 p.m. to 3:30. One person only (sometimes two) is allowed in at a time, the average length of each interview being a quarter of an hour. With such limited facilities for visits and interview, they say, many have to wait a day or two before they gain admission.”
It was reported that in Cork and Galway up to four or five prisoners were allowed to visit an equivalent number of friends. The newspaper suggested that reform was needed at Ballybricken. (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 11 Feb. 1921, p. 3). Before the end of February it was reported that prisoners were being removed from Waterford jail. The tried and convicted prisoners were moved to Mountjoy Prison, and the untried prisoners to Kilworth Detention Camp, Co. Cork under heavy military escorts. (Munster Express, Sat. 26 Feb. 1921, p. 2).
Not all of the articles in the February 1921 local newspapers concerned the War of Independence. For example, brief notices appeared announcing the death of Mrs. Charles Parnell at the age of 75. Her funeral was conducted from the residence in England of her son, Captain O’Shea. (Waterford News & Star, Fri. 11 Feb. 1921, p. 5). One interesting article highlighted the change in the status of Irish women and the bias of the obvious male reporter who wrote the article. “On Tuesday a number of Waterford ladies were served with notices to attend as jurors, common and grand, at the forthcoming Assizes … Many of the ladies, without knowledge of this feature of the franchise being extended to their sex, were taken by surprise. Those of the fine opposite sex gifted with judicial capacity—no personalities—of imparting certain lectures will now have the unique experience of trying their fellow mortals and earth born companions—apologies to Burns’ ode on the mouse—in public court.” (Waterford News & Star, Fri 25 Feb. 1921, p. 5).
Also, it was reported that the tide of Irish emigration was again rising. “The office of the American Consul in O’Connell street, Dublin and its vicinity, [were crowded with] [a] large number of intending emigrants applying for passports to America… Nearly all the applicants were young people of both sexes from about twenty to thirty years of age…The emigrants were for the most part neatly attired, and appeared to be of an intelligent and respectable class of the population. The majority left for Liverpool where they will embark for the voyage across the Atlantic.
Mr. Jerh. Howard, an Irishman resident for twenty years in Omaha, Nebraska, … said he was more than surprised…to see the huge crowds of men and women waiting to get their passport vised for America. ‘It is a shame,’ he said, ‘for those people to be allowed to go across to swell the already overstocked labour market. We have four million demobilised soldiers over there waiting for jobs, and what chance had these greenhorns when they land unless they work for practically nothing, and get half-starved in the bargain.’ Mr. Howard opined that the young people emigrating were doing what the English Government wanted which was to flee Ireland and flood the labour markets abroad.” (Munster Express, Sat. 26 Feb. 1921, p. 2).
Although the Belfast Boycott commenced in mid-1920 it was ramping up in February 1921. The Belfast Boycott came about after 5,000 loyalist workers in the Belfast shipyards refused in July 1920 to work with perceived Sinn Féin supporters due to the attacks on R.I.C. officers. It is estimated that almost 7,000 employees were terminated from their posts. In response, the Belfast Boycott was instituted to protest against the treatment of the terminated workers and the proposed partition of Ireland. In February 1921 all local newspapers carried the following advertisement promoting the boycott. Just a month later the boycott would be extended to Great Britain and both boycotts continued after the truce was declared later in the year.
The featured photo was published in the Freeman newspaper in 1922 and depicts the Black & Tans in Droheda.
The drawing depicting 1920’s clothing is from the New York City Library, Digital Collection, Image ID 823771, available at https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-202b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 .
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh