1922 letter: a contemporaneous account of events from the time of the great explosion at the Four Courts.

This letter was written by my mother Eileen McCarthy (née Scott) to her own mother Rose  Scott in Putney, London. She was born in London in 1900 to Irish parents (Angelo Scott and Rose O’Neill), but had a passionate interest in Ireland. I don’t know if this was her first visit to Dublin, but she apparently stayed for some time, as she refers to going to work, and being stopped by soldiers who told her to go back. She was staying at No. 6 Weaver Sq. (still standing), the house of her grandfather O’Neill. I note that she knew the Irish form of the square!

It is a fascinating letter, describing tumultuous times, and encountering both Free State and Republican forces.

She  returned to London at some stage, where she worked as a milliner, and later met her future husband Daniel McCarthy, who came to live in Putney, and  they may have met through the church. After they were married, they returned to Dublin, where they set up home in Cremore, Glasnevin.

Eileen McCarthy (née Scott)
McCarthy Family
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Donal McCarthy
Pages 2 & 3
Donal McCarthy
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Donal McCarthy
Pages 6 & 7
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Donal McCarthy
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Pages 10 & 11
Donal McCarthy
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Donal McCarthy
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Donal McCarthy
Pages 14 & 15
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Pages 18 & 19
Donal McCarthy
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Donal McCarthy
Weaver's Square, Dublin, where Eileen was living in 1922

Comments about this page

  • It is absolutely fantastic to have this eyewitness account of the Battle for Dublin in the Civil War. Amazing also to read how people went on with their everyday affairs as best they could, and where possible.

    By Tommy Mooney (13/01/2023)
  • Hi Donal,
    I was wondering if you are a relative of Dan Mc Carthy TD, who attended the Treaty negotiations, was chief whip for in Cosgrave government & later GAA president?
    Can you please email me- I am researching Dan in relation to an important artefact from 1922.
    Thank you so much!

    By Sinéad Brennan (25/03/2021)
  • Donal this is excellent history you have…thanks for sharing.
    What a wonderful legacy to have in family archives.

    By Noelene Beckett Crowe (20/11/2020)

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