Emmet picked a name from Irish history and put it together with the constable’s own name “Joe Parnell.”
“Well Joe Parnell, I’ll remember you if I hear of any trouble around here.”
The man’s partner rested a foot on his pedal, ready to push off. “Come on, Joe. We need to do another patrol around Donabate and then get back to barracks and out of this heat.”
Emmet stood until they disappeared down the path and out onto the road before he slid down the wall to sit on the ground again. Thank God he didn’t ask me where I live. I should have had something prepared. Jaysus, how stupid am I?
Emmet sat for another moment and then rose to climb on his own bicycle. He needed to report this. There were RIC in the area! His legs felt like rubber for a few moments and then the adrenalin kicked in again and he flew along the way to the meeting place on Kilreesk Lane. He knew he was early for the three o’clock meeting time so Joe Lawless may not even be there, but he’d try anyway.
He cycled in through the gate, half-hidden behind a copse of trees, and climbed off his bicycle in the farmyard. He rested his bike against the stone wall of the barn. It was quiet in the yard and chickens scattered before him as he walked to the door of the house. Is this the right place? How will I explain myself if I’m wrong? I can’t just ask for Jim Lawless.
Emmet’s stomach churned, but as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened, and a woman stepped out. She reminded Emmet of his mother in her pinny, although her face was closed as she stood in front of him, drying her hands on a tea-towel.
“Yes?”
“My name’s Emmet.”
From inside the house, Emmet heard the voice of Lawless. “Let him in, Alana.”
She turned, and Emmet followed the woman into the house. She nodded through an open door into a sitting room. “In there.”
Lawless was sitting at a table with three other men, two of whom Emmet recognized from their troop. They had cups of tea in front of them and looked like they had been there a while.
Lawless looked up at Emmet, his heavy jowls wreathed in a grin. “All quiet, soldier?”
Emmet felt a sudden lump in his throat. A soldier. I’ve done a soldier’s work today. Emmet straightened his shoulders. “No, sir.”
Lawless straightened up. “Oh? What is it?”
Emmet recounted his meeting with the two RIC constables.
“Did they ask who you were?”
Emmet nodded. “I said Joe Parnell.”
Lawless grinned. “Parnell. You have big shoes to fill, but I’d say you’re well on your way.”
Emmet felt himself grow warm with the praise.
“And you think they were from the barracks in Donabate?”
“They were. I heard the one say they should head back there.”
“Right, so. That’s the opposite direction and the others should be well on their way now so there’ll be no danger of running into them. Sit and have a cuppa and we’ll give those two a chance to clear the area.”
Lawless pushed a chair back from the table for Emmet to sit down and then he continued the conversation he had been having with the other men. “So, a grand day. Highly successful.”
Emmet pulled the knitted green cozy off the pot and poured himself a cup of tea, soaking up every word that his leader was saying.
Lawless nodded to the man Emmet didn’t know. “Thank you for having us here. This was an ideal headquarters for today’s actions and the information you gave about the layout of the telegraph lines was invaluable.”
The man’s ears flushed red. “Come back when you need to. Anytime.”
The men chatted for another half hour and then Lawless stood. Emmet gulped down the last of his tea. Everyone rose and Lawless held his hand up to hold everyone in the room while he walked down the hall to the kitchen. Emmet could hear him talking. “Thank you, Missus. God Bless all in this true Republican house.”
He came back down the hall and they went outside. Emmet mounted his bicycle and waited while the others fetched their bicycles from the barn. Lawless seemed in great form and he waved cheerfully to the farmer and his wife standing at the door of the house. As he pushed off, he called out to Emmet and the two other men. “Let’s hope they have some food ready. I could eat the hind leg of an ass.”
Emmet laughed along with the others as they wheeled out of the farmyard.
• • •
They were back at Murphy’s barn before dark and then he was told to go home for the night but be back at daybreak. Others had already gone home before him. Emmet didn’t see Liam or his own brothers but went home gratefully. The adrenalin that coursed through him for most of the day had left him exhausted. He cycled home and found that Kevin had arrived in before him.
His mother hugged Emmet as he came through the door. “Ah, son. Come in and have a hot cup of tea. I’ll get your tea out for you now.”
Kevin looked up after scraping his own plate clean. “You all right, then?”
“Grand. Tired, though.”
“See anything of interest?”
Emmet shrugged to be nonchalant, but he knew his voice gave him away as he told his story. His mother turned from the cooker and crossed herself as she listened to him speak.
When he finished his story, Emmet nodded to his brother “What about you?”
Kevin sat back and waited until their mother had finished serving out Emmet’s dinner. “I didn’t see anything of the RIC, but saw Ashe go by on that Hunter motorbike of his. You can hear it putt-putting a mile off.”
Emmet felt his eyes widen as he chewed his food, waiting for Kevin to go on.
Kevin nodded. “He went past and then Mulcahy and some others pedalled like mad men to keep up followed behind.”
Kevin and Emmet were both laughing at the image when their father and Michael walked in. Immediately they both stopped laughing and waited in silence to hear what Da might have to say.
Kathleen helped her husband take his jacket off. “You’re all home then, thanks be to God.”
Ned nodded. “We’ll get a few hours sleep and then go back.” He pulled his lunch out of his pocket and set it on the counter. “That’ll do me for tomorrow. I didn’t need it.”
The three boys all looked at each other. They had all found time to eat their sandwiches.
Kathleen nudged her husband and Michael to the table. “Sit down now and I’ll get you a hot meal.”
Emmet shifted in his chair and then burst out. “What’s the news, Da? Did you see any action?”
Kathleen set the two plates down for Ned and Michael. “Let your father eat in peace.”
Ned nodded as he sliced into a bite of ham and potato. “We went out and cut some of the telegraph lines.”
Emmet heard his mother’s quick intake of breath.
Ned glanced at her. “Don’t worry. There really was no danger. Snip, snip and we were away again on to the next one.”
Now Michael joined in. “Tomorrow will be the telling day. They’ll have had time to start organizing themselves, so we’ll see some resistance tomorrow, I predict.”
Kevin nodded. “The Fifth Battalion may not have a lot in the way of weapons, but we have heart. We’ll show them what’s what.”
Kathleen sat down with a cup of tea for herself. “You aren’t to take foolish chances, though. Isn’t that so, Ned?”
Emmet’s father nodded. “Don’t worry. We won’t be sent into something futile. We’ll keep the boys safe.” This last statement was directed to his wife and she gave a trembling smile in return.
Emmet went to bed and tossed and turned, imagining various scenarios where he figured as a hero of the Rising. When he remembered his jolt of fear at the sight of the two constables though, his last conscious thought was will I be brave enough?
Chapter Three
Ashbourne, County Meath, April 25th, 1916
It was still dark when Kevin shook Emmet to wake him up. “Come on. It’s time.”
Emmet couldn’t believ
e that he had slept so soundly. When he fell into bed his mind had been so full of the day that had passed and speculation about the coming day, he thought he’d never sleep and yet at the end, exhaustion had won out.
He jumped out of bed, doing his ablutions and dressing in record time. There’d be no school for him for the foreseeable future. In passing, he thought about a math test scheduled for the first day back after Easter holiday. They’ll have to reschedule. Surely no one will be in school.
He put everything else out of his mind aside from dressing warmly and strapping the leather knife holder onto his belt.
The empty bowls and cups showed that his father and Michael were already gone. Kevin was eating his breakfast while his mother dished out a bowl of porridge for Emmet.
She looked at him with pleading eyes as she set the bowl down. “You don’t have to go again, you know.”
Before Emmet could respond, Kevin stood up. “Leave him be, Mam. He’s not a boy anymore.” Kevin turned to Emmet. “Eat up. I’ll wait for you.”
Emmet had never eaten so fast in his life, lifting the bowl to just under his chin to spoon the food into his mouth.
They took their sandwich packets along with the small whiskey bottles that Kathleen had filled with milk, stuffing the food and drink into their deep jacket pockets. They each put on their caps and hugged their mother. Kathleen clung to Emmet until he pulled back. “We have to go, Mam.”
The two young men climbed onto their bicycles and headed off into the darkness. The last of the quarter moon was setting and cast ghostly shadows on the road but gave enough light to see the way. Emmet shivered as a fox screamed out a warning to a rival.
The sliver of light coming from the open crack of the barn door welcomed them. Emmet was glad to be there; happy to leave the night sounds behind.
Emmet saw that his father and Michael stood at the map with Murphy and another man. Ned nodded and followed a line with his finger, tracing the route. Emmet looked around the room; most of the men wore ties, some with bandoliers across their shoulders, most just with brown belts.
Emmet felt a nudge with an elbow in his side and turned to see Liam beside him. “You made it out of bed then, Liam.”
Liam grinned. “I hardly went to sleep. I slept on the settee to make sure I got up on time. Mam and Da didn’t want me to come, but they would have had to lock me up in the shed to keep me away.”
“Your folks don’t agree that Ireland should be free?”
“They think we should just keep our heads down and work hard and we’ll get our reward in heaven.”
Emmet nodded. Sounds like what the priests say.
Liam waved over to the map. “So, what’s the plan?”
Emmet shrugged. “Just waiting to hear. More of the same, I suppose.”
Liam shook his head. “Not for me. I’ll get my hands on a gun today. I promise you that.”
“Will you really use it?”
“No problem.”
At that moment Ned called Emmet over. “Emmet, you’re with me.”
Liam followed behind Emmet to stand close to the map. “What about me? Where should I go?”
Murphy nodded to the other man standing by the map. “Liam, do you know Joe Lawless?”
Joe nodded to Liam. “I’ve seen you before. You’re Sean Kelly’s boy, aren’t you?”
Liam grinned. “I am, but don’t hold that against me.”
Joe frowned. “This is serious business, lad.”
Emmet saw the grin slide from Liam’s face and a flush rise to his cheeks. “Yes, sir. I know.”
Joe studied Liam for a moment and then nodded at Murphy. “All right, I’ll take him along.”
Emmet turned his attention to his father’s voice. “We’ll be moving along here to meet up with others from the Battalion.” His finger again traced a route that ran between Ashbourne and Donabate. “Our goal today is to raid the barracks, here.”
Emmet swallowed. This was the real thing. A raid. Michael was being sent to another column to move towards Swords, but Emmet and Kevin were to stay with Ned as they joined up with the other handful of Volunteers assigned to this target.
Ned pierced first Kevin and then Emmet with a look. “Are you ready?”
Both nodded. Emmet felt the largeness of the moment as his heart raced.
Ned stepped over and had a last few quiet words with Murphy and then he turned and waved to the four men who were with him, including his two sons. “Right, let’s go.”
The sun had risen as they each climbed on their bicycles. In the early dawn, Emmet heard the song of a blackbird. Repeating again and one last time, Emmet thought he had never heard anything so lovely. Is it an omen? Three times for luck for the three of us Ryans here at this moment? Emmet felt a sudden wave of love for, not only his family, but the other men with whom he had drilled and joked for the past five months. We’re in this together. Someone could die today. Is it worth it? They cycled on without speaking, each intent on his own thoughts.
As they crossed from County Meath into County Dublin, Ned had everyone pull off the road.
Ned pointed. “Okay, boys. Take cover behind those rocks. I’ll go ahead and see if the others are waiting.”
Emmet and Kevin chatted quietly with one of the men, Seamus Flynn, while the fourth man stretched himself out higher on the hill to keep watch along the road.
Kevin played on the local hurling team with Seamus. Emmet listened to them discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their team as compared to the team from Garristown. Their voices lulled Emmet into a trance-like feeling. I could just go to sleep here and now. How can I be tired with the day that’s in it?
Emmet snapped awake. The lookout had whistled one sharp ‘tweet’ and all talk stopped. They froze waiting to hear or see what was happening. The lookout crept back to where Emmet, Kevin and Seamus were crouched behind their boulder.
“It’s Ned, back again.”
They all rose and went back to the road to meet Emmet’s father. Ned stopped his bicycle but didn’t dismount. “Come on, boys. The others are up ahead waiting for us.”
The five of them cycled ahead to meet with the other group, men that Emmet didn’t know. There was no talk or called greetings between the two groups; only a few nods to acknowledge each other. Ned held up his hand to stop his detachment while the others mounted their bicycles and then they all started forward, but now Ned was just one of the twelve-man unit, led by someone else.
They pedalled forward, each man knowing that their large group was now at risk for being spotted. Emmet wished he could ask his father some questions. Who is that man in charge? Do you trust him to know what he’s doing? Instead he cycled on in silence, the ghostly group slipping through the morning past a landscape that Emmet didn’t know. I’ll just trust they know what they’re doing.
When they reached the outskirts of Donabate they pulled off the road into a well-treed area and Emmet finally heard the leader, Charlie Weston, introduce himself.
Weston pointed out two of his own men. “You two are going to take the pickaxe and sledge and burst in the door.” He looked then at Emmet’s group. “I need another strong lad to take the crowbar and help with that.”
Seamus stepped forward before anyone else could speak. “I’m your man, sir.”
Ned nodded his agreement and then looked back to Weston. “Have you a crowbar with you?”
“We do. We’ll want two more to go along and rush the door. It’ll be a pig to get it open and speed will be of the essence.” Kevin and another man were assigned. Weston himself would lead the charge.
Weston took a stick and used it to draw in the soft earth under the trees. “Now, we want three men here, and three there.”
Weston pointed out men and told them where he wanted them. Emmet was to stay close to his father and be ready to charge in through the open door. It was possible he’d be needed to help stand guard of prisoners.
They remounted the bicycles and drew closer to the barracks.
When the grey, two-storey rectangular building was in sight, they left their bicycles and slowly crept closer, using trees and bushes to cover their advance as far as they could. The barracks was silent. Emmet kept staring at the row of windows on the main and second floor, like so many blank staring eyes,
Weston held up his hand as he studied the building, surrounded by the whitewashed stone wall. A police bicycle rested against the wall near the open gate.
Emmet’s teeth were chattering, and he clenched his jaw to still them.
Suddenly Weston’s arm dropped. “Go!”
The six men rushed through the gate to the door. Emmet heard Weston shout out: “On behalf of the Irish Republic, surrender now or we’ll break down the door.”
The air cracked with a volley of gunshot exploding from a top floor window.
Emmet’s ears were blasted by the answering fire from the men around him who had shotguns. He clapped his hands over his ears and watched as the window shattered, raining glass and splinters down on the men below.
The six men at the door fought to break it down. The hammering of the sledge against the thick timber boomed. Emmet heard a jumble of words as the men at the door shouted to each other.
“Here, throw it here.”
And “Get the prise in here.”
“Now lads, give it all you’ve got.”
Emmet glanced over to his father who had risen to a crouch as he kept his shotgun trained on the building. Emmet looked back to the men working at the door, so he didn’t notice as the shooter on the top floor changed his angle and let loose with a hail of bullets. He gasped as his father stood and returned fire, but the shot went wild, thudding into the wall between windows, sending flakes and chips of brick and mortar flying.
Surprised at the miss, Emmet turned his head to see if his father would try again. He heard his own voice shriek, high with shock. “Da!”
His father lay on his back. His face was already chalky as the blood seeped through his jacket.
Emmet vomited, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he crabbed his way across the few feet separating them. “Da.”
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