Extract 'I was privileged to interview people with so much knowledge of the Irish revolution'

THE IRISH CIVIL War ended on 24 May 1923. Prior to that there was World War I, 1916, the War for Independence and partition of the island.

Eighty years on in 2003, I wondered were there many civilians and combatants left from across Ireland who would have experienced these years from 1919 to 1923, their prelude and their aftermath. If so, what memories had they, what was their story, and how did they reflect on those turbulent times?

Last Voices of the Irish Revolution, by Tom Hurley.

Did the 80 years since the Civil War do anything to quell the bitterness often associated with that conflict and, before that, British rule in all of Ireland? Had attitudes changed in the years that followed?

Documentation

To find out and to learn more about the 1919–1923 period and its prelude and aftermath, I set about recording elderly people’s experiences of life in Ireland leading up to, during and shortly after May 1923. In the first seven months of 2003, I met and recorded interviews with 18 people.

Daniel Donovan and the Bantry Volunteers. Eddie and Marion O’Donovan Eddie and Marion O’Donovan

Two further interviews were recorded in the United States in July 2004. I wanted to speak to a cross section who would have ideally been in their teens or early twenties during the Civil War. I would fund the project myself and work independently.

Interviewees or their families or carers were told in advance of being recorded that I hoped to use the content down the line to make a radio documentary series, a book, or perhaps both, but that even if neither of these ever came to fruition, it would be worth recording what they had to say for the purposes of posterity.

I decided that the year 2023 – which marked the 100th anniversary of the end of the Civil War – was a suitable time for the publication of this book. I may also explore the possibility of getting the accompanying radio documentary series aired at a future date. This has never been broadcast.

Patsy Holmes, Ballykinler Camp 1921. Matthew J. Larkin Matthew J. Larkin

My book is for the most part structured around information garnered from those recorded interviews which I conducted with 20 individuals (both Catholic and Protestant), all born on the island of Ireland well in advance of the end of the Civil War in 1923. It is an oral account of the 1919–1923 revolutionary period and its prelude and aftermath based on their experiences and stories of having lived through it. It is what they told me or didn’t tell me that led me down particular paths of research.

Meticulous on dates

I have adopted a chronological approach to the book that spans 50 years, beginning with the oldest interviewee’s birthday in 1899 and ending on the date that the Irish Free State was declared a republic in 1949. While it’s the 1919–1923 period that is the subject of particular focus, my belief is that those years can’t be taken in isolation. Tensions were brewing in the prelude to them, and tensions were also rife in their aftermath.

Eighty years and more after the end of the Civil War, it was remarkable to come across individuals so receptive and talkative regarding the 1919–1923 period and its prelude and aftermath.

Not surprisingly, many had, in advanced age, perhaps forgotten details and stories they might have retained up to some years previous. Perhaps there were other stories and memories they just didn’t want to talk about. However, with the passage of time and old acquaintances, many may have felt that incidents they might not have discussed before could now be recorded. Overall, I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and interview these extraordinary 20 people.

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Jack Duff kneeling at the Curragh Camp, 1924. Noel Cleary Noel Cleary

All those I spoke to were good storytellers and, what’s more, were willing to speak. They also had remarkable memories for their ages. What they conveyed to me were events, incidents and stories that had stuck in their minds through the decades. There were, of course, instances where interviewees were reluctant to go into detail on certain aspects, particularly those relating to the Anglo-Irish War or the Civil War. This is totally understandable, and rather than pursue them during interviews, I left them be and moved on to other topics.

For me, this occasional reluctance to speak only added to the credibility of the storyteller and gave a sense of the ‘genuine’ to their accounts. It is often the case that silence or a reluctance to speak can say more than words.

Heroes and villains

Each person featured is speaking entirely from their own point of view. Personalities played a huge part in the War for Independence and the Civil War. One person’s hero was often another person’s target for ridicule. This is clear in the instances where certain personalities come in for both praise and attack. All remarks must be taken within the context of the day based on the individual experiences of the interviewees. The odd personal jibe might have been directed also. These are trademarks that go with any war situation. I could have edited them out but decided not to.

I was also mindful that some of the views and opinions expressed wouldn’t necessarily equate with what other individuals of the period might have encountered or experienced. Those featured had the advantage of 80 years of hindsight, which most from the 1919–1923 period never got.

In terms of research, every effort has been made regarding the veracity of
the dates and details provided in the book’s chronology. All incidents and stories featured in the book are there because either an interviewee raised or alluded to them or – having researched what they said or omitted – I felt further detail or attention was warranted. In some cases, I have added extra information to provide background and context.

From my point of view, it was a most worthwhile experience to have spoken with these 20 people about the 1919–1923 period and its prelude and aftermath in the year that coincided with and followed the 80th anniversary of the end of the Irish Civil War. Together, theirs are the last voices of the Irish Revolution.

Tom Hurley is a radio documentary maker and producer from West Cork whose particular focus is on conducting research into what he terms ‘neglected incidents’ from our country’s past. This is his first book.