ROINN COSANTA BUREAU of MILITARY HISTORY, 1913-21 STATEMENT by WITNESS. DOCUMENT NO. W.S. 889 Witness Seamus Uacaomhanaigh
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ROINN COSANTA BUREAU OF MILITARY HISTORY, 1913-21 STATEMENT BY WITNESS. DOCUMENT NO. W.S. 889 Witness Seamus Ua Caomhanaigh, 302 Howth Road, Killester, Dublin. Identity Secretary. 'Defence of Ireland Fund'; Accountant Sinn Fein Executive; Secretary, Local Gov't. Dept. Dali Eireann. Subject. (a) His national activities, 1916-1921; (b) Sinn Fein and Dail Eireann. Conditions, if any, Stipulated by Witness. Nil File No S.2180 Form BSM2 CONTENTS Page Early Background 1 The Gaelic League 13 "Transvaal Committee" 14 The Celtic Literary Society 14 Labour Strike, 1913. 36 Formation of the Irish Volunteers 39 "Defence of Ireland Fund" 40 Activities in the Rising Events in the G.P.O. 46 Evacuation of G.P.O. 56 Appointment of successor to James Connolly 59 The Surrender 61 Imprisonment 62 Events in Stafford Jail 66 Events in Frongoch Camp 77 Activities after Release 95 "The Plebiscite Committee" 98 Sinn Féin Funds 99 Events at Sinn Féin offices 103 First meeting of Dáil Eireann 113 Formation of Department of Local Government 121 Events in the Department 122 Comments on attitude of Messrs. Cosgrove and de Valera 133 Michael Collins. Reward offered for his capture 136 CONTENTS - Continued ADDENDA Commentaries: The I.R.B. Dick Mulcahy Liam Mellows Eoin MacNeill Seamus Dwyer Padraig Ó Conaire Documents: Original of Internment Order do. "Release Form" do. Telegram W.S 889 Road 302 Hourth Killester Dublin Scaka has written The following statement been pour nor have meemroy. I have consulted no records newspapers, nor I looked up any old the events which Jam discussed with anybody read nor have I now endeavouring to recall, published time books or articles pour any of the led to which up recording the doings to time it and treaty which followed the truce of 1921 the from nervous breakstown in 1929, I had a recovered. St not yet which I have fully trouble was a fit of principal manifestation read anything depression whenever I heard or previous years. to the happenings relating of at a movie took nor look I could not read a it so I pat experiencing picture without except the out mind work of everything of my is rather you the moment, consequently my memory think my Ill do the best Jean. If blurred, fur can have it recorded statement is any good you -oocaks not can scrap it of you Seamut Uabaoindnaiz STATEMENT OF SEAMUS UA CACLIHÁEAIGH, 302, Howth Road, Killester, Dublin. I was born in Dublin on the 21st April, 1880, in No. 6 St. Michael's Lane, and reared in a tenement house, No. 10 Upper Bridge St. This house was owned by an aunt of my father and occupied by my father and mother (and family) and my grandfather and grandmother, my father's parents, and one or two other tenants. My father and his parents were comb makers who, like others at that time, carried on their business in their own home. All members of the family, young and old, had to give a hand at the work a and were paid in accordance with what they did by the grandfather at the end of each week. The making of combs was very complicated and laborious, the work being practically all done by hand. The house consisted of a basement, a ground floor and three stories above the ground floor. In the basement there were front and back kitchens with space for pantries between, and an area in front with two large cellars extending out under the road. In one of these cellars we kept coal and in the other some odds and ends. When I was big enough to go in for photography the space between the kitchens made a lovely dark room. My grandfather did most of his work in the basement, the kitchens being large, bright and airy. At the back of the house was a large yard in which were situated a dry closet and an ash pit. There was no sewerage system in the city at the time and, consequently, no water closets. In the yard also we what we called the workshop, a long lean-to 2. glass covered structure extending from one end of the yard to the other. In this the only machinery, if you can call it such, was. kept. It consisted of a large wheel, turned by hand, which carried a belt to a smaller wheel from which another belt came to turn the spindle which moved in an oscillating manner to cut the teeth in the combs. The ground floor was occupied by my grandparents, the first floor and a room on a higher floor by my parents. As rooms became vacant upstairs they were taken over by my parents to accommodate their growing family. Combs at that time were mostly made of horn but some of the fancy combs used by ladies as hair ornaments were made from tortoise-shell. My grandmother was an artist at this work and very expert at working out different beautiful designs. While I was still a boy the comb-making, as well as other Irish home industries, began to die out. As in the case of other industries, this was due mainly to the import of mass- produced articles of foreign manufacture which could be produced and sold cheaper than the hand-made articles. The change in ladies hair fashions had also a lot to do with it as the ornamental hair combs were no longer worn. My grandfather struggled on at the business, eking out a miserable existence, but my father had to seek other employment. For a while he earned his living by doing house repairs and decorating. He was very handy at that but gave it up when he eventually secured employment in Pim Brothers, Georges St., in their retail order office. We were a large family. There were ten of us altogether but one, a girl, died as a baby and another, a boy, died of pneumonia when he was nine years old, leaving eight children - six boys and two girls - I being the eldest of all. 3. my father With such a large family and a small income could not afford to give us an expensive education. I was first sent to school when I was two years old. It was customary at that time for women of the working classes to send their children to school while they were still babies, as this enabled them to get on with their housework in the early part of the day. Junior teachers were also anxious to have them at school as it kept up the average attendance and kept them employed. I did not remain long in school, however, as after a few days I was knocked down accidentally by one of the big girls during play-time and someone stood on my nose, which was broken. I think a couple of years passed before I was again sent to school. My first school was the parish school, High St., managed by the Parish Priest. The next time I was sent to a school under the management of the Augustinians, the manager being a very nice priest named Father Pentony. There are two things I'd like to mention in connection with ins time in this school, Johns Lane N.S. It was the first school I'm sure in which school meals were given. On my first day in school when lunch time came round I saw bread and butter and milk being given to some of the children and cried because I got none. After a day or two I got used to this and did not mind. The other thing that remains in my memory relates named Cannon to an argument I had with another boy regarding the spelling and pronunciation of the word 'cannot'. He said it was can can not not, cannot. I said it was cannot, cannot. When I came home I asked my father which was the correct way and he said cannot, cannot. I went triumphantly to school the next day to show up the other fellow, but he wasn't there. Day after day I waited but he never turned up. After a couple of months I asked when 4. was Cannon coming back to school and was told he'd never back. come He was dead. When I reached eight years I was sent from the infants" school up to the Christian Brothers in Francis St. I have very little recollection of the time I spent there except that. my first teacher was a big boy named George McGrath, a smaller brother of his being a class-mate of mine. It was this George McGrath who became first Auditor General of the Irish Free State. He and his brother Joe McGrath, were prominent figures in the fight for Irish freedom, It was there I learned some of the songs from the "Spirit, of the Nation", like 'Step Together', which I still remember. I remained in Francis St. school until the following summer when we got our summer holidays. When the holidays were over I left home one morning to return to school. When I arrived at the school I saw a big notice on the outside. There were hundreds of boys standing round reading it. It intimated that the school would remain closed for another month as it would take that time to complete the alterations which were being carried out during our absence. When we were tired cheering we dispersed. When I went home I was met by my mother who asked what brought me home.