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Vol. 2. No. 27
LIAM MELLOWS
IN 1916
y first acquaintance with Liam was
in the winter of 1914, when he was sent
down from headquarters to organise and
train the Volunteers in Galway. I
thought when T first met him that he was
only a delicate little chap who was very
enthusiastic about the movement, and
fine
who might be able to give a v
lecture on-patriotism or even on how to
fight, but no more. I very socn found
out my mistake.
first
He addressed our company tl
night he came down, and told us he was
sent down for a week, and that we were
to prepare for a very hard week's work.
We felt half inclined to smile at the little
chap from Dublin talking to us about
but that was the only occa-
hard wor
sion we felt that way inclined. Next
night we were breught out with some
route march. 1
© companies for a
will never forget it; we were out about an
hour when it started to pour rain. Of
course we thought we would be aliowed
to seek shelter somewhere. No such
thing—we were given to understand that
we were not ‘sunshine soldier:
we got the order to double. Our com-
mandant and Liam and myself were at
the head. The commandant was rather
t. that
thought I was fairly
know how long we ,
at we were nearly all doubled up by
the time we got the order for quick
pitied the poor commandant;
a cucumber, trotting
ain coming down in bucket
After what we thought an eternity, tian
told the commandant to give the orders
quick march—if he was to save Ireland
he could not do it. The order was con-
veyed to me. I managed to blurt it out
) somehow, and when we looked |
had about ‘half our company!
to wait for them on the r
of them didn’t turn up at <
then that we had an nee v of what Liam
meant by a ‘hard we work.
d
all: it was only
Next day I was lying up for repairs.
By the time that week was up we all had
an idea that soldering was not all sun-
shine, and I do believe that if it was any
other one who brought us through it ‘but
Liam, half of the boys would have been
fed up. When Lian applied for another
week with us we were all delighted,
because by the time he had spent a week
with us even the children on the streets
loved him! When the second week was
up he told them at headquarters that he
to stay with us altogether,
in ing that but for
y would never
x be mentioned in connection with the
Rising of 1916.
Then the work started in real earnest.
branch’ of Cumann na mBan was
was started, and he taught them first
aid. He taught the Boy S outs and the
Volunteers — signalling
everything in connection with soldier
He was almost every day en his bicycle,
organising some company of V olunteers.
e was of away for two or three
day Sy and on nights fe would be late in
me my house,
boarding in another
house in town. We happened to have a
spare room, and we
because no
there but Liam.
ame along with him. We never nen
what time we might expect him, one,
two or three o’elock, any time 12
coming home;
SATURDAY, 26th APRIL, 1924.
NES ASS SSS SSS
POORER
midnight to 8 a.m. he would ramble in,
and he used to love to flash his lamp in
my face and eyes, swelled with sleep,
when [ used to get up to let him in. I
certainly do not believe that there is
another in Ireland for whom we would
have got up at all hours and would be
we were about Liam,
often had little chats
about him, and we would ask each othcr
how it is that instead of being annoyed
at being put about in this way, getting
up at all hours of the night at a moment's
notice and airing bed clothes and all that,
that it gives us so much pleasure — The
only explanz ation we could give of the
was that the fact that he made
so free with us was a proof that he
thought a food deal about us, and who
* known Liam who ‘reuld
not fe ad proud. ‘to have Liam think a good
deal about him?
I remember one night himself and a
comrade came and knocked about two
a.m. They had no light on — their
bicycles, and I was so stupid from sleep
that I didn’t know where to look for a
igh opened the door, and L
comrade came in first. We couldn’ ts see
one another, it was so dark. Liam went
to shove in his bicycle, and where ‘did he
shove it but between his comrade’s bike
and the wall, where he felt it in, ithe dark
He pushin: was mc
in the dlarle, 1 only my shirt. on,
heard a report and felt a sting int my
foot. T cannot say whether it was a
prayer or a swear T said, but I jumped
about three feet in the air. Then some-
one managed to get a tight, and we
the ‘bike that fell on my
foot. But Liam was missing.
to look for him with the candle, and
found him, lying on the flocr, in a help-
less fit of laughter. I wanted to show
him how serious the matter was.
showed him my toe, which was split
from the bike falling on it, and poor
m made a very vain attempt to apolo-
gize but failed Completely, fell
floor aga and laughed. My wife
shouted out from the bed, ‘f What did
nusband ?’? but instead of
r soberi fleet on Li
it made him laugh all the more.
RESEDA
PJORARARARARARARARARARARAR AR ARARARARAEINS
He w as not very long in Athenry when
the G’’ men got on to him. Two o
themy were appointed ecially te watch
him. Any day that Liam would be away
he used to come to our house. The
s ult was the ‘‘G” men used to
f
ming down
fire in ‘‘ the room,
air the house boasted of
would be waiting, but Liam would ramble
In, sit by the kitchen fire on a small stool,
pull out his pipe, and light it with a coal
from the turf fire hat was Liam’s
way. He ignored any fuss or prepara-
tions made for him; wanted to he looked
shed visitor, but as
4 hy time he was seen
“G? men bringing his bicycle
to our house (as he often did in order to
annoy the ‘( men), one of them
Svould get a bike and take up a position
bridge outside the town
rea eady to follow Liam anywhere he was
going. On one occasion he was going
to—I think—the’ village of Clarinbridge,
and th man was at his usual post.
Liam passed ‘him on the bridge, and the
man followed. Liam did not pretend
anything, but started peddling as hard
as he could. jut, instead of goi
by the road he had intended,
turned to the left and brought the peor
“*G"? man a journey of about five miles
on a road which led back into the tewn.
He left him more dead than alive exactly
at the place where he od
the
mo unted
was he not com
asion a
comrade and himself were preparing for
a journey, and they brought their
Dieyeles to our house (our house was a
Iquarters), and of course
they, I think it was two peelers, who
were to follow them this time. They
had their bikes in the vicinity of our
house, so that no one could go out with-
out being seen them. but m and
his comrade got awa ay without being seen
by them, and the result was that those
poor men wasted hours of their valuable
time watching the exit of two suspicious
PRICE 2d.
chai s from a suspicious house owed
by a man who was also under suspicion.
The lads got out the back way across the
fields onto the road, and had reached
heir destination long before the peclers
thought they had started out.
On another occasion Liam asked me
to a place called Derry Brian, a
ige up in the mountains about eight
miles from Gort. .I had to set out on
Saturday night in order to be there in
time on Sunday—of course our business
was to organise a ps of teers,
I stayed in a place called Ballycahalan,
about 17 miles from Athenry, and on Sun?
day morning set out acro:
miles of a very rough mountain. Liam
was to go to Dunmore. le was to
anise a corps there, and then meet
me in Derry ii
Brian in the evening.
promised my wife faithfully that I would
he home on Sunday night, but it was late
in the evetiing when Liam turned up, and
I decided ret to go home until Mond
so I told Liam when he would get home
to tell my wife that I would net “be home
till Monday, Poor n started out with
de who ee ‘him from pusiore
in a motor bike and side-car. nit half.
home t 2s it
bike
went in over one ditch and Liam md the
side-car_ over. the other. t was some
time before either himself or his comrade
could extricate themselves as a result of
the accident. He spent two days in bed
in Dunmore. My wife, not hearing from
ne, and Liam not turning up, naturally
thought that something” terrible had
happened. . She notified the local com-
pany. They got a otor cars and”
started. out ‘searching the « country. hey
succeeded in finding me at 12.30 Monday
night, making a “speech to a Gaelic
lass. T inquired: for Liam, but
vas told that he had not turned up. The
poor fellow turned up dnesday,
and was ver uch troubled when he
‘heard of my wife’s uneasiness about us,
all because he was not able to deliver
the message he got from me.
It would take a whole day to relate all
the incidents and tricks he used to play
men and the peelers.
on 7
Liam was arrested in March and de-
ported, but managed to get back, no
only to Ireland, but to Galway, in "time
for the Rising. He made Kileeneen his
headquarters. He sent one of his men
in a motor car feinvora with a
despatch. s captured by two
armed police who were watching the
house to which he was
driver got away with t
Liam got word t
arrested, he started out
with what men were there to
those who arrested their
thought they were bringing hi:
way, but he was brought, to. Lime
He attacked Clarinbridge and Oranmore,
captured grout six peelers and retreated
towards Athenry.
An incident in Oranmore is worth
mentioning. They tried to blow up a
bridge in Oranmore when word was re-
ceived that the itary were comin:
from Gaiway, a rison town. Liam
ordered his’ men ‘to ret eat outside the
village. All his men wi horses and
and Liam remained in
safely outside.
up the village when
what. ‘Should. Ie see but about two dozen
peclers r hing down the street
coolly got behind a tree and opened fire
on them with
confusion he Y
enabled him to. out of the vilage
before they thought of firing even in his
direction, “but when they started they
kept firing until the whole contingent
were gone about three miles, but did not
attempt to follow. About>two miles
outside Athenry they were met by another
contingent from Athenry, where they tock
over a model farm next day. The whol
padly armed and not much better
rair retreated to a place called
Moved, a castle owned by ‘amous
Ree
