Undercover Irish

Cover Art is a photo of the iconic "Muriel" painting by artist Jeanette Collins. Free Download: Get the free booklet here on Patreon, exploring the history of Cork Military Detention Barracks , "Cork's Kilmainham" ,and the extraordinary stories connected to the surviving site. In Cork's Kilmainham Ep. 6: Women of the War of Independence, we turn to the women whose work surrounded the detention barracks, Victoria Barracks and Cork's revolutionary struggle. From Cumann na mBan intelligence work and prison visits to spies inside British military headquarters, vigils outside the barrack gates, military courts, dispatch carrying and an audacious assassination attempt, this episode looks at the women who were far more than supporting figures in the Irish War of Independence. We revisit Ellen "Nellie" Carroll, Seán Allen's fiancée, whose access to him inside Cork Military Detention Barracks became a channel for intelligence. We follow Josephine Marchment, who worked inside Victoria Barracks while secretly passing information to the IRA. We also return to Ballycannon, the suspected informer Cruxy O'Connor, and the extraordinary poisoning plot involving Nora Martin and Ethel Condon. Finally, we look at what happened after the revolution, when women such as Ellen Carroll were forced to fight for recognition through the Military Service Pension system — and how those files now preserve some of the richest evidence we have of women's revolutionary service. All of these stories lead back to one place: Cork Military Detention Barracks, the surviving historic prison at the old Victoria Barracks, a site still under threat of demolition. Topics include: Cumann na mBan, women in the Irish War of Independence, Cork revolutionary history, Victoria Barracks Cork, Cork Military Detention Barracks, Seán Allen, Ellen Carroll, Josephine Marchment, Nora Martin, Ethel Condon, Ballycannon, Cruxy O'Connor, IRA intelligence, Military Service Pensions and women's history in Cork.

  Watch Davy Holden's excellent video on Cork Military Detention Barracks: https://youtu.be/MhgbDqtgB_o?si=RXX7LIzU5wv7SldP Cork's Kilmainham, Episode 5: X Marks the Cell On the evening of 27 April 1921, Diarmuid O'Leary noticed something on the two prison cells beside his own. Each door had been marked with a large X. His had not. By the following morning, he would understand why. In this episode we follow the aftermath of Clonmult and Mourneabbey into Cork Military Detention Barracks, where Patrick O'Sullivan, Maurice Moore, Patrick Ronayne and eighteen-year-old Sonny Mulcahy waited under sentence of death. We hear from Patrick O'Sullivan's remarkable final letter home, including his description of death as simply "going by an early train." We also follow the story of Major Geoffrey Lee Compton-Smith, the British officer held by the IRA in an attempt to prevent the Cork executions, and Diarmuid O'Leary, the condemned prisoner whose own cell door remained unmarked. The episode then follows Patrick Casey and Daniel O'Brien, as the final firing squads of the War of Independence fall silent inside the barracks. But the death sentences were not finished. Next time: The Empty Graves.

Cork's Kilmainham continues. In Episode 4, the story moves into the darkest period yet for Cork Military Detention Barracks. Following the death of Terence MacSwiney and the introduction of martial law, the barracks moves to the centre of the conflict in Cork. Men captured across the county are brought here, court martialled here and, increasingly, condemned to death here. This episode tells the story of Con Murphy, the first man executed in Cork under the new martial law regime, before moving to the failed Dripsey ambush and the five IRA prisoners who were sentenced to death. We also look at Maria Lindsay, whose warning to the British helped expose the Dripsey ambush, her extraordinary letter to General Strickland, and the unlikely figures who came forward to speak on behalf of the condemned men. The episode culminates on 28 February 1921, when six men were executed by firing squad at Cork Military Detention Barracks while their families and supporters gathered outside the walls. This is also the story of how one building became a physical link between some of the most important moments in Cork's revolutionary history. If you're new to the series, start with the earlier episodes: Episode 1 explores the origins of Cork Military Detention Barracks, its links to Fenian prisoners and the extraordinary story that eventually connects Cork with the Catalpa rescue. Episode 2 follows the story of Thomas Kent, executed here after the 1916 Rising, his secret burial and the later discovery of his grave. Episode 3 tells the story of Terence MacSwiney, his arrest as Lord Mayor of Cork, his first night in the detention barracks wearing the mayoral chain and the hunger strike that would eventually shake the world. And now, in Episode 4, the firing squads return. If you enjoy Undercover Irish, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a rating or review, and share the episode with anyone interested in Cork history, the Irish War of Independence or Ireland's revolutionary period. You can also support the podcast on Patreon, where you'll find extra material connected to the series, including the free Hidden in Plain Sight booklet on Cork Military Detention Barracks. Search terms: Cork Military Detention Barracks, Cork's Kilmainham, Dripsey Ambush, Con Murphy, Maria Lindsay, Irish War of Independence, martial law Cork, Cork executions 1921, Terence MacSwiney, Thomas Kent, Irish revolutionary history.

Cork's Kilmainham Episode 3: The Chain, the Cell and the Hunger Strike In Episode 3 of Cork's Kilmainham, we follow the extraordinary story of Terence MacSwiney, from prisoner in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising to Lord Mayor of Cork, and finally back into British military custody at the Cork Military Detention Barracks. The episode begins in the shadow of Thomas Kent's execution in May 1916, as Cork Volunteers were arrested, imprisoned and deported. Among them were Tomás MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney, two men who would go from detention cells to Cork City Hall within four years. We trace the political transformation that followed: the 1918 general election, the establishment of Dáil Éireann, the Democratic Programme, the rise of the Republican courts, and Cork Corporation's decision to recognise the authority of the Irish Republic. Then came the murder of Tomás MacCurtain in March 1920 and MacSwiney's election as Lord Mayor. In August 1920, British forces raided Cork City Hall and arrested MacSwiney. He was brought directly to the Cork Military Detention Barracks, where he refused to surrender the Lord Mayor's chain and began the hunger strike that would ultimately make his name known across the world. The episode also looks at the remarkable Prudential Assurance Company case, a powerful example of just how far Republican institutions had begun to exercise real authority in Cork by the summer of 1920. From Cork to Brixton Prison, the story then became international. MacSwiney's hunger strike inspired protests, demonstrations and industrial action across Europe and the United States, from New York to Barcelona. After 74 days without food, Terence MacSwiney died in Brixton Prison on 25 October 1920. But the story began in Cork. Inside a building that still stands today. The Cork Military Detention Barracks was the place where Thomas Kent was executed, where Cork Volunteers were imprisoned and deported, and where Terence MacSwiney began the hunger strike that shook the world. This series is also an appeal to protect and preserve this extraordinary building before another piece of Cork and Irish revolutionary history is lost. If you haven't listened to the first two episodes of Cork's Kilmainham, go back and start the story from the beginning. Episode 1 explores the origins of Cork Military Detention Barracks, the Famine years, the Fenians and the extraordinary road to the Catalpa rescue. Episode 2 tells the story of Thomas Kent, his execution in 1916, his secret burial and Tadhg Barry's remarkable discovery of his grave. If you enjoy Undercover Irish, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Ratings, reviews and shares genuinely help more people discover the show. Support Undercover Irish on Patreon: patreon.com/UndercoverIrish Follow Undercover Irish on Instagram: instagram.com/UndercoverIrish Topics covered: Terence MacSwiney, Tomás MacCurtain, Thomas Kent, Cork Military Detention Barracks, Cork's Kilmainham, Cork City Hall, 1916 Rising, Irish War of Independence, Dáil Éireann, First Dáil, Democratic Programme, Republican courts, Prudential Assurance Company, Cork IRA, hunger strike, Brixton Prison, Cork history and Irish revolutionary history. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as éisteacht. (directory.libsyn.com)

When we think of the executions of 1916, we think of Kilmainham Gaol. But Cork has its own surviving 1916 execution site. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we return to Cork Military Detention Barracks and tell the story of Thomas Kent, the east Cork Volunteer executed there on 9 May 1916 and secretly buried within the military grounds. We trace Kent's life from Castlelyons to Boston, where he became involved in Irish-language and cultural organisations, through the Land War and his imprisonment for land agitation, and into the Irish Volunteers in the years immediately before the Rising. We then follow the events of 1916 in Cork, the gun battle at Bawnard House, Kent's court-martial and execution, and the decision to deny his family his body. The story then turns to another remarkable Cork revolutionary: Tadhg Barry — republican, socialist, trade unionist, journalist, Irish-language activist and major GAA figure. Imprisoned in the same military complex at Christmas 1916, Barry was shown the hidden burial place of Thomas Kent by a sympathetic guard. He marked the spot, fell to his knees, kissed the ground and later recorded the moment in a poem. That poem was published in 1921, the same year Barry himself was shot and killed while interned at Ballykinlar. We also look at the role of Cork railway workers in keeping Kent's memory alive, the eventual identification of his remains, and his State reinterment in Castlelyons in 2015. And finally, we return to the question hanging over this entire series: What should happen to Cork Military Detention Barracks now? The grave marker remains. The execution site remains. The prison remains. And yet the building is under threat of demolition. If Kilmainham teaches us the importance of preserving the places where history actually happened, then Cork still has a choice to make. And Thomas Kent is only the beginning. Because thirteen other republicans were later executed within this military complex, while Terence MacSwiney spent the first night of his world-famous hunger strike here. That story continues in the next episode of Undercover Irish ,Uncovering Ireland's Hidden Curriculum. Follow Undercover Irish on Instagram for more Irish history, heritage and hidden stories. Support the podcast on Patreon and help keep independent Irish history projects like this going.