Thursday, 21st


December 2017


info@eastcorkjournal.ie


Gardai Urge The Public To Be Extra Vigilant This Festive Season


by JORDAN MCCARTHY


It may be the sea-


son of goodwill, and a time of celebration for many, but the number of break-ins tends to rise at this time of the year, and drink-driving related in- stances are also on the increase. Ahead of the festive period, An Gar- da Síochána are calling on the public to be extra vigilant. The


statistics reveal that residential burgla-


ries increase by around 23% during the winter months. More than 45% of burglaries at this time of year occur between the hours of 5pm and 11pm. In 19% of bur- glaries, entry is through an unsecured door or


window, and the most common items stolen are jewellery and cash. It’s reported that the typical value stolen per incident, over the


past those


months, was €600. Of course, it is not always that


particular


items are stolen, as it has also been revealed that there were over 160 cas- es where car keys were “fished” through the let- terbox. The


message


the authorities is to be cautious and take


from the


necessary precautions, to keep you and your valuables safe. As part of their ‘Lock Up, Light Up’ campaign, Gardai are warning; ‘‘Whether you are at home or going out, remember to turn on some lights, use timer


twelve


switches, lock all doors and windows, use an alarm, store keys away from windows and let- ter boxes and don’t store large amounts of cash or jewellery in


the house.


Lock up, light up.’’ In relation to the main points


entry by bur-


glars to houses, the fig- ures released by Gardai show that 33% are via the front door. 47% are through a rear window or rear door, 8% are through a front window, with 4% of break-ins over the winter period happening as a result of entry through a side win- dow. Gardai added that more incidents reported by an alarm activation were detected than not detected. Meanwhile, Road safe-


ty is an issue throughout each and every year, but the


numbers for this


time of year make for difficult reading. As of the 15th


312 people had been arrested in the month of December for drink/ drug driving. That’s an increase of 12% on this time last year. People are also being detected with alcohol in their system the morning after a night out. The message, from our country’s national police service, is simple; Never Ever Drink and Drive. Garda data from


2008-2016 reveals that a total of 292 road users were killed in the months of November and De- cember. It is a notorious- ly bad time for road traf-


December 2017,


fic accidents. Alcohol is a factor in almost 40% of fatal crashes in the lead up to Christmas. With people making trips to visit their loved ones, or to attend parties, over the Holidays, and into the New Year, Gardai are urging members of the public to remember three important things. ‘‘We


to the general public to plan their journey over the festive


KEVIN O’KEEFFE TD would appeal period, to


never get in a car with someone who you think has drink or drugs in their system and to never ever drink and drive,’’ a Garda Press Officer said. More information on prevention and


crime


staying safe can be found at www.garda.ie


Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas


and the very best in 2018


BALLYLOUGH, MITCHELSTOWN, CO CORK Open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.


Tel: 022-25320 - 087-2345163 Email: kevinokeeffecc@gmail.com


15


The Making Of Hand Grenades In Knockraha During The War Of Independence


by JIM FITZGERALD, Chairman Knockraha History Society


In the autumn of 1920, word was sent


to Mar-


tin Corry, Captain of the Knockraha Company, that Sean Hegarty of the Cork No. 1 Brigade was com- ing out to Knockraha on a very important matter. He arranged to meet Martin in a field near the village. He said to Martin ‘I am afraid that we are going to lose the War for one reason: we are terribly short of hand grenades and our raids on barracks and private hous- es have not given us many grenades. In fact a supply of grenades are as much or more important than guns and are vital for leading at- tacks on local barracks and ambushes. I want to discuss with you Martin the possibil- ity of making grenades here in Knockraha’. Martin’s re- ply was ‘I am only a farmer’s son and would know nothing about making grenades and the rest


of my Company


likewise’, to which Sean He- garty said ‘not to worry, here in Knockraha you have a very remote area with a lot of bogs and glands: an ideal location for secret activities. So what I want you and your Company to do is to make


a dug-out and I will be able to supply the technical ex- pertise and the capable per- sonnel and the equipment to run the factory’. Martin immediately set about con- structing the dugout. A spot in the glens in Butlerstown was set. They were given the equipment necessary so with picks and shovels the work was began. When completed the dugout measured 30ft by 10ft by 11ft. Dead railway sleepers were


obtained to


support the roof which was covered with 2 ft of earth and the sods put back on top to disguise it. Entry was by a small shaft on which a box of earth with hinges was put in place and when that was in place it would be very difficult to find the dugout. A pipe out of it was put up through a ditch to take out the smoke. All the earth from the dugout had to be carted away by horse and cart and distributed over a wide area, not


to arouse The suspicion. following equipment


was needed for the factory; a furnace to melt down the iron, moulds, massive bel- lows to get the right heat to melt the iron mould for the making of the grenades, an oven to bake the cores for to make the cavity in the gre- nades. To get the equipment a group of Volunteers from Cobh at gunpoint comman-


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deered the boatyard in Cobh and using its foundry during the night made the contain- er for the furnace which was immediately delivered to Butlerstown. It was put in position in the dugout on top of the firegrate and a pipe connected to take away the smoke up through a ditch. The next problem was to make the moulds and again luck was on their side. Two prominent members of the Cork Company, Dathi O’ Brien and Charlie Reed, were after getting employ- ment in Henry Ford and Company who had opened a plant in the Marina in Cork in 1917 and that had a huge foundry and they se- cretly used this equipment to make the moulds. I am sure if Henry Ford knew what was happening he would not have been too happy to have his facilities being used for making bombs. So these were brought to the dugout. It needed two moulds to make a grenade. They were held together with a bolt, one was secured to a plank. They would have an open- ing to pour down the molten metal with a core standing in the middle. These cores were made of sand and mar- ley and were baked in an oven and a ladel was made out of the cover of a kettle by putting a handle on it.


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Coke was used for melting the iron. The raw material for making the greades were pots and pans that could be got


locally. The Cobh


water scheme was being put in place at that time in Tibbetstown, Carrigtwohill. They were raided and metal pipes were taken. They also raided Henry Ford’s plant in Cork and got a lot of pig iron. With all these things in place they were ready for the first run of greandes but be- fore it could be used it had to be passed by the techni- cal officer of the brigade who was Sean McSweeney, brother of the murdered Lord Mayor of Cork, Ter- ence McSweeney. He gave it the all-clear so they were ready to start. Officers of the Brigade, including Sean Hegarty, came along to see it. Initially working it took 6 people to run the factor from making the cores to taping the furnace. Sean Hegarty had supplied an engineer to work the bellows. On the first night the metal was put in coke and lit. It took 2 hours to melt the metal so when it was properly melted the tap was opened, the ladle was filled with molen metal and it was poured into the moulds. After cooling for a couple of minutes one of the chills was taken away and a perfect grenade fell out on


the ground which brought a cheer from those present. Now they knew the Volun- teers had a new weapon in their armory no longer de- pending on capturing gre- nades and that this would be a huge boost up for the Re- publican forces. The factory immediately went into full production with the majority of the workers coming from the Brigade area. Dr Seamus Fitzgerald,


later president


of the Cork Chamber of Commerce and chairman of Verome Cork Dockyard, did a lot of work in the factory. There it ran right up to the Truce on 11th


July 1921 and


supplied over 1,000 grenades to the Cork Brigade which were then distributed nation- ally. Coming up to Christ- mas 1920 Ned Fitzgerald of Knockraha East, an en- gineering student at UCC, went down to Martin Corry to see how he could help. Martin dispatched him to go down to the grenade factory in Butlerstown to help out which he did. A couple of days later he came back to Martin. He could see ineffi- ciencies in the Bulterstown plant. He asked Martin for permission to construct an- other factory which he said he would design. The plan was approved. A secluded spot was selected near Pi- geon Hill. Work began on


constructing it. It was made a similar plant to Butlers- town in a dugout approxi- mately the same size. This time the furnace was made in Ned Moloney’s Forge in Knockraha. Moulds were again made in Ford’s oven in Cork for making the gre- nades. They used the wheels of a furze machine to drive the bellows. It was passed by Sean MacSweeney and started production before Christmas 1920. They could lay their hands on iron from Ford’s. When operating this place proved very efficient and up to 50 grenades a night would be made. It took again 6 people to operate the plant. One had to come early in the evening to light the furnace and put in the coke and metal. The first grenade would come out at around 8pm and they would continue to work well into the night. Both factories kept going up to the Truce on 11th


July 1921 but after that


they were never again used. It is estimated that they sup- plied over 3,000 grenades to the Cork Brigade from which they were distribut- ed Nationwide. They were transported to Cork mixed up with potatoes in bags. During their existence the British Forces never found them but several Volunteers told the writer that by June


1921 the British had an


idea that something big was going on in the area. More English patrols searched the bogs and glens of


the


Parish and on one occasion they came across Volunteers coming away from the Fac- tory-they had to run. The British opened fire on one of the Volunteers Willie Ma- hony, Brooklodge. He got a bullet in the leg but got away. On another occasion bloodhounds were left


off


in Knockraha and headed towards the direction of Wa- tergrasshill and at the time a prisoner was being held in Sing-Sing gaol. But luck- ily they were on the wrong scent. The scent


they got


was Bill Murray who had a beard and had been drink- ing in Cantalans Pub. The hound traced the scent to the house. The soldiers bust up the stairs where Bill Murray was in bed. They caught the beard and pulled thinking it was a disguise but he had no contact with the Volun- teers. It was the considered opinion of the members that but for the Truce the British would have found out what was going on in Knockraha. One can only imagine what would have happened. To- day a lot of the Grenades made in Knockraha can be found in many museums throughout the country.


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