1 Denis McCullough, Irish Prisoner C1-3 Knutsford c/o Chief Postal Censor London My Dear Jem As Katie Phelan would say ye're a dote to write me
such a nice letter. I was wondering how you were & quite expected
to be receiving 'comforts' from you, from home or Dublin long before
this. What the deuce are they keeping you for? It's a breach of
the Geneva Convention & you doing medical work only. What is
the good of being a Doctor if you are not allowed to practice? And
Dore too. Where the devil did he come from & how did he get
rounded into this? Remember me to him & say that I am done
with him for life — I'll have nothing more to do with criminals,
especially from the South. I have just written to Mick Carolan.
Do you know him? He is there with a lot of the Belfast boys
& I am sure has looked you up. He is a man after your own
heart — steeped in sin. I hear from Tomcoole occasionally
& was delighted to hear about Kit getting home — it will be
Nell's turn next and I hope soon, too. I had a note from
Maureen Cregan yesterday & a letter from Margaret Browne today.
Needless to say, they both speak of you in affectionate terms.
Margaret's is a screamer. All about a letter they had from Liam
O'Brian and a discussion between him & Cole over the value
of a beard in 'affaires de Coeur'. In Maggie's best style — always
Liam's beard is a triumph, I believe. What
is your own like? Mine is only incipient yet. The girls inform
me that Chris & O'Malley are in Dublin this week. Not bad — his 2 intentions must be serious after all. And in war time too! Pearse McCann & myself and one or two others are kept away
from & not allowed to mix with the common herd, but conditions
were relaxed today & we are allowed to converse during
exercise. Seven of us in all. We get smoking & reading also,
so it is more bearable now, at all events. How are you off the smokes & eatables etc.? I suppose
you get parcels from home — and other places. Some of
the Cailini from Manchester & Liverpool come down here
every day & see that the boys want for nothing. I manage
tolerably well myself. If they do not let me out soon, I
will have to apply for a job on a farm or something,
as there will be no business left for me — especially
if they are going to make Ulster into a foreign territory &
exclude Belfast from the Home Rule Bill. The Pope
will not have the life of a dog there after that. I say, I saw Dublin when they were bringing us down
to the boat & I must say they made 'some job' of it, during
Easter Week; looks as if it had got struck by an earthquake!
Got a great send off — all the girls were down to wave us a good
bye and blow kisses after us. I quite enjoyed it, but when we
got to sea — and a rough night — amongst the cattle & the boxes of
dead fish, Oh, Lord. Don't remember anything more until we
struck here. Well, Goodbye now Jem and hoping to meet all soon again Yours always Denis PS Sean T. is at Wandsworth it would be nice to join the family
party, wouldn't it. Regards to all friends at Stafford. D.