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Newry
Journal was delighted recently to have been offered a few reminiscences of
veteran Republican Dan Moore from his early days of resistance to British
Rule.
In
the late 50s and early 60s I was in awe of this man and the Republican family
to which he belonged – and my father with me. Any Republican personage or organ such as The United Irishman was considered highly
suspicious by the authorities and kept under close watch. The Republican paper was actually banned and
my father purchased his copy hidden within the folds of the Belfast
Telegraph. That was dad’s little act of
defiance. We would worry lest the house
be raided and this subversive literature would lead to dad’s arrest! The open sale of this (commendable) newspaper
was among the most minor of the ‘transgressions’ of the Moore family.
In
addition every Easter Sunday Dan Moore chose to head the Republican Parade to
the Republican Cemetery plot, carrying the banned
tricolour. It is hard to believe now
that just the display of the national flag was considered a crime worthy of the
incarceration of the bearer. In punishment
for this open defiance Dan was hauled off immediately afterwards and imprisoned
for a period of months. I could not
believe that a man could have such firm convictions that he would fritter away
his freedom like this.
But
I should allow Dan – who now is a social worker in Dublin combating the evils of drug and
substance addiction – to speak for himself.
“There
were lighter moments too back in my time in the “Juveniles” in 1957.
The
authorities were convinced that a bit of military discipline was enough to
correct the misguided views and attitudes of the miscreant youths in their
care. Joe Leslie, Moody and the other
screws in charge of us were ex-marines. In
good old-fashioned British war-film tradition they interpreted this as the need
for regular ‘square-bashing’. It was
supposed to frighten us and turn us into ‘good citizens’.
I
really enjoyed this square-bashing and threw myself enthusiastically into these
exercises. I felt I was learning
something every morning. As a young
volunteer of just eighteen years who hadn’t yet had any drill training on the
outside I was convinced I was doing something useful!
Arms
training we had had, but not drill. Priorities, I suppose!
After
about two months Joe Leslie approached me and asked why I was so patently
enjoying the drill exercises. I was
young and lacking in subtlety. I
answered immediately and with transparent honesty that if we were to do this on
the outside, it would be sufficient reason – if one were needed – to imprison
us.
Sadly,
that was the end of my square-bashing!”
…….
more later ……..
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