Waldron, John, 'Some Notes on the Civil War in Ireland, 1922-23'
Small notebook / scrapbook with typed details complied by Waldron relating to military activities, such as ambushes, attacks on barracks and towns, and shootings during the Civil War, particularly in Tuam and the surrounding area. The volume is dedicated to John Henehan, Athenry Road, Tuam (referred to as a 'republican comrade', c.f52) ‘....in memory of the days we roamed together on two wheels on the dusty road from Annaghdown Castle to Ballycurran Castle’.
Includes some inserts, such as transcripts of letters written by men executed by the Free State prior to their deaths, newspaper clippings (1983), a letter telling of Miss Kathleen Talty's involvement in De Valera's escape from Lincohn Jail in 1919 and her connection to Frank Cunnane (1985), also includes a copy of the Proclamation of 1916 pasted into the front of the volume together with a page with commemorative photographs of the 'Great Men of 1916'. Details include:-
- a list of the Irish Army Commands in March 1922 and their affiliations (i.e. pro or anti-Treaty);
-an introduction by Waldron in which he states 'In my notes I only give what the public were told of the day to day actions between the Free State Troops and the Republicans and probably the former's point of view, so to get the opposite point of view, an attempt should be made before it is too late to collect all information from the members still alive of those who took part in the war of 1922/1923';
-part of a reported interview given by Rory O'Connor to Mrs Clare Sheridan in the Four Courts, Dublin before it was attacked by Free State Troops in June 1922;
-weekly summary accounts of incidents that occurred during the War in the Tuam area and the surrounding district, with the first being for 1 July 1922, and the last for the week of 25th June 1923. For example, 'July 8th 1922 Tuam although completely in the hands of the Republican forces since the civil war began was peaceful’, and 'July 29th 1922; On the morning of July 25th the Free State Army marched into Tuam and took over the Workhouse as their Military Barracks…'; Nov 18th 1922; 'A search party of troops visited Headford last week in a round up operation. About to search a house when a man was noticed running from the building. He was called on to halt and a Manuser Rifle, four bombs and a quantity of ammunition was found in his possession...'. and
-details of the Raid at Cluid on 19th February 1923 and of the subsequent execution on 11 April of six men in Tuam Workhouse by a Free State fire squad following the Raid. Also includes transcript of the Tuam Town Commissioners resolution following the executions, and comments on the 'Aftermath'.
-Inserts relating to Nollaig Ó Gadhra, which include two Galway Advertiser newspaper cuttings of articles written by him relating to the Civil War, with specific mention of the Cluid incident and the subsequent executions (1983). Also a copy of a press release issued by Mercier Press relating to the publication of Ó Gadhra book, Civil War in Connacht, 1922-1923, which states the book ‘…is unique in that it deals with the realities of the war in the west through the eye of authentic notes compiled by the late J.J. Waldron. These notes were collected in a scrapbook in the early 1970s, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Civil War, but were never made public’ (1999).
-Handwritten letter from Padraig de Bhaldraithe (Dublin) to Sinn Féin Councillor Frank Glynn (Milltown, Co. Galway), telling of Miss Kathleen Talty's (Kilkee, Co. Clare) involvement in De Valera's escape from Lincohn Jail in 1919 and her connection to Frank Cunnane (one of the six men executed in Tuam Workhouse in April 1923) (1985).