Spike Island’s Republican Prisoners, 1921

The first book about the republican internees and prisoners held on Spike Island by the British Army during 1921. Spike Island was the largest British military-run prison for republican prisoners and internees in Munster and south Leinster during the Irish War of Independence, housing almost 1,400 men. The author has compiled an outstanding record of all of these men using primary source material from Irish Military Archives, prisoners and internee autograph books and British Army records from the UK National Archives. The book describes the background to the setting up of the Military Prison in the Field on Spike Island in February 1921, the escapes, hunger strike and riots that took place there as well as the fatal shooting by sentries of two internees. It also contains details of arrest, charge, trial, convictions and sentences for the prisoners and transfers to and from Spike Island. This is the first comprehensive history of individuals and events on Spike Island during that turbulent year. AUTHOR: Tom O'Neill worked as the facilities manager on Spike Island with the Prison Service from 1989 - 2003. When Spike opened as a heritage centre he set himself the task of researching the 1921 prison. He is the author of The Battle of Clonmult and has an MA in History from University College Cork. 163 b/w illustrations