When we appeared at Island Bridge Barracks, things got worse for us. Dublin’s nastiest were let loose from the stockades and the women were by far the worst. They looked like those who had been around during the French Revolution!
When one of my companions answered one woman, a sergeant broke through our ranks and struck him on the chest with his rifle and bayonet and snapped,
‘If you speak again, I will kill you!’
This woman was allowed to follow our men to the barracks, telling soldiers to use their bayonets on the ‘German so-and-so.’
As we reached the gate one of my companions fell down from weakness but he revived after receiving aid.
Inside the Barracks English soldiers met us, telling us we were all going to be shot and to give them any money or watches we had. I am sorry to say that some of our men fell for this mean trick. One man beside me put his hand to his vest to hand over his watch but I told him to wait until he was going to be shot.
We were put into the gymnasium, all sitting on the floor, and shortly afterwards about a dozen ‘G’ men arrived, all wearing flowers in their button holes, as if they were at a wedding. They were smiling and laughing on all sides. Two of the detectives stood close to me. One said, pointing to Daly from Limerick,
‘Is that Daly?’
The other answered,
‘I don’t know him’.
One of them walked over to Daly and asked if he was Daly from Limerick. The brave man said that he was and then he was taken away from us.
… more later …