Custom House Burning - Part 1 / John Wilson

[Private 1st class]

HiChas McCabe was in Kilmainham and in July of 1921 he wrote the following little poem.
In cell 5 do I dwell,
And in bloody bad humour I'am feeling,
I'd go right down into hell,
Just for a tip from Teelin.
Hope this little snippet will add to your collection.
Private 1st class

[seanod]

Hi, I am researching the Custom House and the people there, so if you could post a short biography of Charles McCabe that would be a big help. (Just where and roughly when he was born, what his job was, marriage details, when and where he died etc.) If you have any family stories about him include them too. Thanks!

[greaghglass]

thanks for replies,love the verse he wrote,heres another that we saw in kilmainham last week,
oh friends,abide with us in kilmainham,if no grief can reach thy breast.soon you ll be acclaiming prayers
from this mansion of the blest,   cell5 section6,  2-9-21. 
what i know so far is that he was born in manchester england ,worked in the shipyards in belfast,
then ended up in dublin,dont know what dates all this happened but i am trying to piece it all together,he was captured at the customs house and ended up in kilmainham on his realease he joined the national
army,my father in law told me he belonged to a squad of men that went around "sorting out anti treaty people" take from that what you will,when he left the army he came to live in monaghan with two elderly brothers that were related to him,he married a local woman whose father had been a sergent in the british army and served in india ,at some point he became a post man.he died in 1958 from cancer,jim slattery attended the funeral,it seems he knew him as he made a few trips to monaghan, i have some photos that i will post when i figure out how to.

[Private 1st class]

Hi That poem relates to Frank Teelin. and the looking for a tip. Is how to get out of here. Teelin did escape from Kilmainham.At that time he was friendly with Ned and Mick Lane. They drifted apart when Ned went to live in the U S. Mick joined the  D M P. in 1923 after he came out of the army.   Private 1st class

[Ms. Smokestoomuch]

My grandfather rigged up the bolt cutters that got Teeling, O'Malley and Donnelly out.
He was proudest I think of this activity rather than any acts of bravado.

[seanod]

That's interesting, Ms Smokestoomuch. I'll have to put that in the file. Private 1st Class, I realised it was Teeling but I completely missed the point about the Tip! It's obvious when you think about it. And thanks very much for those details Greaghglass. He obviously got around a bit. I wonder if he'll show up on the Census returns in England?

[greaghglass]

how would one look that up? .by the way private first class where did you get that verse?

[Private 1st class]

Hi, My father and his brother were in Kilmainham with Charles and the one unit and Battalion. They were quite close mates at the time. Mick Lane was in cell 6 and for a time in cell 4.Ned would call to his brother and charles. He had this on a piece of card. Over the years my father and my self walked over the ground of that fight both inside the building and outside. We done timings of their run from the arch way toward the lane between Liberty Hall and the womens Labour exchange. It was a quite place then. Anyone looking at us at the time possibly thought we were mad,   He was on the committee that had the statue erected.  That place and Kilmainham had a very deep impact on him and his life.

[greaghglass]

thats amazing,thank god for the internet, i have a picture from the last days he was in kilmainham,it shows charlie and some others i will put it up when i can.