The Men Will Talk to Me (Ernie O'Malley series, West Cork Brigade)

James Bernard 'Barney' O'Driscoll

(UCDA P17b/95, pp. 16-21)

Barney O'Driscoll (1891-1961) was born in Castletownsend, raised in Skibbereen, and educated at St Coleman's College in Fermoy. In 1908 he emigrated to the United States, and during his five-year stay he immersed himself in Republican activities. Upon his return to West Cork, he entered the quarry business, and also helped establish Sinn Féin and the Irish Volunteers in his district. He endured several prison terms for Republican activities, and was finally released from jail in 1922. He stayed largely neutral in the Civil War, opening Killaloe Slate Quarry Company in 1923. From the slate quarrying business, he moved into plastic and metal manufacturing, becoming one of the country's leading industrialists. He developed a number of metal and plastic factories in Clare and Tipperary, partnering with major international firms. O'Driscoll settled with his wife and children in Nenagh, County Tipperary. Dying in 1961, his large funeral attendance included President Éamon de Valera.

***

[16R] 1910. Paddy Ford1 of the Irish World was a very strong supporter of the AOH.2 They were trying to capture the 69th Regiment for the AOH.3 The Clan na Gael,4 the non-military side, controlled the Irish Volunteers [USA] who were trying to control the 69th 1st Regiment of the Irish Volunteer Society in New York and the second [regiment] in Brooklyn, the 14th National Guard then in Brooklyn.5 We tried to control it for I was a member of the Irish Volunteers, and we had H Company, [with] a good few Irish in it, the captain, a German friendly to the Irish. The carrying of arms was then permitted in the USA provided you carried them openly. We went for route marches. We bought our own rifles and ammunition. We went out to ranges in the country for rifle practice. Up to 1914 the AOH controlled the 69th. You had to be a member of the Clan before you could become a member of the Irish Volunteers. Our leader was Martin L. Biggale.

I was in Frongoch in 1916 as Q[uarter] Master.6 We checked out the rations every day at the railway station about 300 yards away, three times a day. I got a letter from home which had been sent there from a cousin of mine - Armour & Co. of Chicago - who was manager in Liverpool. His name was Cruickshank. He had a lot of corned beef, and he, being an imperialist and not knowing my sympathies, had written me a letter offering to give me some barrels cheap. My mother had sent on the letter. I asked Mick Staines, our Camp Commandant, if I could send out [17L] a business letter.7 He gave me permission but the Camp authorities refused it. I wrote a letter [and] gave it to one of the RDC's, Royal Defence Corps, men of above military age who helped to guard us. He posted it. Next we had a wholesale line out for letters. In public, to take away suspicion, I was particularly nasty to this man. I used to abuse him, for the British were then looking out for our sources. There was a large store where we received provisions. I had the letters in my pocket addressed to an English address with Irish letters inside. He came up behind me, took out the letters, dropped them into a half-full tea chest. Always there was a little money for himself. The British put a detective, who, in the local post office, opened our letters for Ireland, but he never found our letters.

Brennan-Whitmore knew of one method of getting information out, through cigarette cartoons.8 He drew a sketch of this in his book on Frongoch and I must say if [he] had known anything about our way of sending, he would also have mentioned it.

IRB in Frongoch: Michael Collins started it. Gearóid O'Sullivan was weak and thin at the time.9 We put him between us in bed to keep him warm. Then in the Camp was Colm O'Murchada.10 He also was a member.

[17R] Seán Ó Muirthile wasn't there.11 He started life as an auxiliary postman in Leap, County Cork. Some letters were missing and he was responsible. He was dismissed. His father and mother were native Irish speakers. He became a native Irish organiser. For years Michael Collins loathed him. Gearóid [O'Sullivan] had no mind of his own. He copied Mick Collins.

Diarmuid O'Hegarty was arrested in 1916.12 A question was asked about a John Hegarty in the House of Commons. He had been wrongfully arrested. The prison warder came to Diarmuid in prison. 'Are you John Hegarty?' he asked.

'No, I'm not,' replied Diarmuid O'Hegarty.

'Well, what does Diarmuid mean in English?'

'It's not John, anyhow.'

The warder went away. He returned. 'Are you sure your name is not John?'

'Yes, I'm sure.'

He came back. 'Well John or no John, pack up and get to hell out of this.'

When Diarmuid came back to the Department of Agriculture, T. P. Gill sent for him.13 He had known that Diarmuid had been out in the Rising. 'Take your holidays first, Hegarty,' he said, 'and report back. I hope you enjoyed the time you were fighting.'

Frongoch: [One] November day we decided to burn our camp. We had sent out so many complaints about the Brewery where we had been stationed that in the end the British were ordered to put us in one camp.14 That was our loss for the camp was bitterly cold, full of mud and dirt. We were kept out [18L] in the open that snowy day. The British put out the fires we had lighted in the huts. The sergeant major, 'Jackknives', picked out 7 of us including myself for punishment. We were made [to] stand outside, a soldier in charge of each of us, who never let us get out of his sight. Two more soldiers were added and an NCO. We were taken off by train. No food for us or the soldiers all that day: eventually we reached Reading Gaol.

I was given a fine bed, a beautiful clean cell and good food. We were kept in the women's prison. There were 35 of our men all told there. Reading Gaol had been used by the British for spies or for Irish, foreigners, whoever they weren't sure of: Chinese, Dutch, etc. amongst them. The food cooked in the male prison was brought over by some of these foreigners. Amongst them was a Dutchman who was always complaining about being in gaol as his country was neutral. He talked to Arthur Griffith about his trouble.15 He was accustomed to go to and fro on Dutch boats. 'But had you no passport?' said Griffith.

'Oh indeed I had a passport,' he said, 'why I had seven of them.'

Amongst the men there were Seán T. O'Kelly, Tommy MacCurtain, Ernest Blythe, Walter Cole, Terry MacSwiney, Henry Dixon, [18R] ?Harry Cotton, George Nichols of Galway, Darrell Figgis, Éamon Dwyer of Goulds Cross [Tipperary].16 There was no mention of IRB then in this prison.

1921: Henry Dixon and I, both of us had been in the US.17 We both thought the trouble between Devoy and Cohalan had been most probably due to Dev.18 The AOH had been very strong. There were at least 9 AOH men for every Clan man. Ford had been AOH, of course, but in 1916 he changed over, becoming more extreme even than Devoy.19 John Devoy, deep in his own bitterness, didn't want Dev to link up with Ford or his group. Dev said he couldn't afford not to use, to neglect, any Irishman who could be of use to the country.

Daniel Cohalan was a believer first of all in Cohalan, and then his interest was Irish-American politics. (EOM: Liam Mellows, according to Andy Doyle, had had a row with Devoy when he went to the US in 1917).20 Devoy was very bitter. He had been more bitter to O'Donovan Rossa than he had been to Dev. Rossa was a dynamiter. He didn't believe in going into the field, but he wanted to blow up buildings in England to carry the war into their country. My cousin was married to Rossa. His mind was going when he died. Rossa was able to keep his mind alive in gaol by never accepting anything [19L] from his enemies. He made them fight back not that they wanted any excuse, but they were made to suit his quarrels. He always rubbed the warders the wrong way.

Frongoch: 'Jackknives', the sergeant major, had a terrible tongue, but he had a heart of gold. At one time there were a couple of calls each day, roll calls, and then they called out the men's numbers, not their name. One day the officer was calling the numbers: WO 1246, 'anseo'.21 WO 1924, 'anseo'. WO 2132, 'anseo', WO 146, no reply. 146, no reply. Jackknives began to roar, 'No. 146!' Again, 'No. 146!' Slowly, through the crowd pushed his way Jack Hughes, a huge man who could throw any 4 military police around him. Jackknives was a big powerful man.

'What do you want?' asked Jack Hughes.

Jackknives bent forward and said in a polite whisper, '. why didn't you answer your name?'

There was a Lieutenant Douglas there. Perhaps he was a Lord Alfred Douglas and a relation of Oscar Wilde.22 He was always kind and sympathetic to us. The adjutant was Lieutenant Byrnes, a regular of between 40-45 years of age. A very intelligent man, indeed. Henry Dixon said 7 or 8 years ago, there was a Lipton Canteen Scandal and [19R] there was a Major Byrnes there.23 I bet he is the man. We had some meat one morning. The meat was rancid. Collins and Staines advised me to put it in a warm place so that it would be thoroughly rotten in a few hours time when the...