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JOHN TIMONEY,
JAMES CONNOLLY STREET,
BALLINA, CO. MAYO,
Captain, Crossmolina Coy., Irish Volunteers, Co. Mayo.
Subject: Crossmolina Company,
Irish Volunteers, Co. Mayo, 1917-1921.
I was born and reared in
Crossmolina in the Co. Mayo. My father was a farmer and my mother’s maiden name
was Keating. I remember my grandfather,
who was a Fenian, telling us all about the French landing at Kilcummin in
Killala Bay. He then lived at Lahardane where a number of the local Irish
joined the French army. I don’t think it is generally known that Humbert split
his army shortly after landing, sending one force to Castlebar via Crossmolina
and Lahardane and the Windy Gap, and the other body went through Ballina and Foxford
to Castlebar.
Two granduncles of
mine joined up with Humbert at
Lahardane and large number of local people, under Father Conroy, C.C., of Lahardane, who was later captured by the
English and handed in Castlebar. The English suffered defeat all the way of
both forces and at Castlebar were completely routed, and it is still called the
Castlebar Races. Humbert then moved his complete army through Swinford to
Collooney where he met and defeated a large English army outside the town. He
afterwards moved on to Dromahair by-passing Sligo, which is hard to explain, as
there was an English garrison there which did not come out. He rested at
Dromohair and later moved on to Dromkeerin and Drumshanbo where he again swung
his army after resting at Furnase Hill and proceeded through Keahcarrigan on to
the vicinity of Mohill and Clooone where he himself was entertained by a
parson. the following morning it was discovered that the chains for hauling his
cannon were stolen; they were found inside the past years in Keeldragh Lake.
His intentions then
were to meet a supporting force at Granard, Co. Longford, but on his way he was
confronted by a large English army at Ballinamuck, Co. Longford, where he was
defeated.
Our teacher was a
Tipperary man named Ryan who had
good rebel outlook and taught us the Irish language, history and songs. The two
priests were Father O’Hara and Father Doherty, who did not say much.
the parish priest was later replaced by a Father
McHale who was a Chancellor of the Church; he was a rebel in his heart; he
couldn’t help it, coming from Lahardane.
When I left school, I
worked with my father on the farm until I learned how to drive a lorry, when I
went to work in Browne’s of Crossmolina. Martin
McAndrew, a comrade of mine in the Volunteers, also worked with me on the
same job.
The first time I was
approached about the Volunteers was around August, 1917, when Paddy Hegarty of Lahardane came to meet
a few of us by arrangement. There was a company formed in Cawley’s Lane, Crossmolina, about 2 o’clock in the morning when
seven members joined up—Martin Loftus
and his brother Pat; James O’Hara, Ned
O’Boyle, Ned Murphy and myself and, later, two shop assistants whose names
I cannot remember; they worked in Davis’s shop. This small party formed the
nucleus of the first company of the Irish Volunteers in Crossmolina.
Later on the same
year, our members increased to about 20 men and early in 1918 we were properly
organised. Martin Loftus was the
first captain and I was appointed Lieutenant. I was later on company captain
and then battalion adjutant.
Out first activities
consisted of drilling at the parades which were held twice weekly; some of us
gave lectures on military matters.
We gathered together
about 66 double-barrelled shotguns on different raids, some of which were given
to us by the owners. I kept them in a store of Cawley’s where I then worked; it was at the end of the town on the
Lahardane road. After cleaning the guns on one night, on our way home we met a
man whom I knew to be friendly with some members of the R.I.C. He saw us
leaving the store where he had the guns concealed in bags and tied to the
ceiling, and, as we suspected him of giving information and to be on the safe
side, we thought it better to remove the guns in case of a raid, so Martin McAndrew and myself stole an ass
and tied the guns in the bran bags along his back and set out for Enniscoe,
about two miles out the Lahardane road. Major
Pratt was an ex-British officer and we decided his place was the safest one
we could get. It is unnecessary to say he didn’t know anything about them and
they were safely there all the time until we wanted them.
I assisted with the
arrangement and safety of sick and wounded Volunteers after the ambush of
Skerdagh; the North Mayo Flying Column was resting near Skerdagh when they were
seen by a spy who informed the R.I.C. in Ballycastle. About 4 or 5 R.I.C. left
Ballycastle and walked to where the column was resting. They succeeded in
surprising the column which, after an exchange of shots, had one man shot and
three captured by the R.I.C. My brother, Patrick, was a member of the column. I
was engaged as the go-between for orders and dispatches between the brigade,
our own battalion and the column, and as it was not the policy to take more
than one member from each household, I was kept back for the above-mentioned
duties.
Some of the survivors
of the column after the ambush were quartered all over the county where I was
in constant touch with them. As the result of a dispatch from the brigade we
were ordered to gather the survivors at Toureen and take them to Gortnor Abbey
on the shores of Lough Conn and from there across the lake to Knockmore.
Leading up the attack
on Bellacorick R.I.C. barracks, it was the first talked of in the house of Andrew McNeely, a tailor and a member of the Volunteers. After a lengthy
discussion, it was decided to use the two companies of Lahardane and
Crossmolina. Paddy Hegarty was in charge of the operation.
After the usual
blocking of all roads and cutting of telephone wires, the barracks was
approached from two sides; lights were flashed on the windows and Hegarty and Corcoran called on them to surrender.
Hegarty succeeded in having a conversation with the sergeant’s wife and, shortly
afterwards, the sergeant surrendered to Hegarty who promised them he would hold
his fire and save their furniture and valuables as well as themselves. They
agreed and came out with the hands up and were placed in a vacant house, also
some furniture. We then soaked the place in paraffin which was carried up in a
tub by McAndrew and myself and it was set ablaze—a terrible sight to see.
On our returned to
Crossmolina we passed a number of second-hand clothes dealers returning
from a fair in Belmullet and some of us
were recognised by one of them named Corcoran who mentioned it in a publichouse
a day or two later; so we decided to raid his house, which we did and took him
out. He declared his innocence and, as we were satisfied there were no bad
intentions, we just gave him a warning as to his future behaviour and released
him. Our warning had the necessary effect.
In accordance with instructions
from G.H.Q. in connection with raids on Customs and Excise and Rates Offices,
we raided the local office without opposition and destroyed all records and
documents.
About this time it
had been decided to set up Republican Courts which were successfully operated
in every district. There were several minor clashes with the R.I.C. who
resented out activities and it was surprising that we were not arrested. For
example, a lunatic had been committed to the asylum by our Courts and I was
responsible for leaving him in Castlebar and, on our return, we went to Durkan’s publichouse in Lahardane where
we saw three members of the R.I.C. drinking at the bar. They kept looking at us
in a suspicious manner and, as we learned afterwards through our Intelligence
officer, they were there to arrest us but did not make any move even to
question us.
On another occasion I
investigated a family dispute between husband and wife for the neglect of their
children. I summoned them to attend a court next day in the old hall at
Crossmolina. Very early the next morning she left Crossmolina and travelled to
Ballina where she visited the R.I.C. barracks and evidently informed them of my
action, because she travelled back with the Tans and R.I.C. in their lorries of
which there were three. I was with a party on guard on the bridge when I saw
the lorries stop at the R.I.C. barracks. I rushed to the hall and informed the
Court (which consisted of the late Minister for Justice, Paddy Ruttledge and Mr.
O’Malley of Crossmolina) that Tans and R.I.C. were after arriving at the
barracks. The court immediately left the building, and just as the hall was
surrounded in a few minutes, we all got away with the books of eh court and not
even one document was got in the raid by the R.I.C.
While still with the
Volunteers, I was made responsible for the new Republican police force and, as
such, I took over the R.I.C. barracks in Crossmolina after the Truce.
Early in 1921 the
shotguns were distributed to the different companies and, after the Truce, they
were collected and taken to Keenagh Lodge where the first training camp was
formed.
I finished my service
as Battalion adjutant with the rank of captain which rank I held until I joined
the Civic Guards at the Curragh Camp in Kildare in 1923.
Signed: John Timoney,
Date: 27th May, 1957.
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