Letter from Patrick Fogarty to his mother, 8 September 1916
write home, and it gives me great pleasure, as I am
sure you are expecting one every morning. I hope you are all in the best of health and going
on well. I am very glad to see by your letter that
John has taken over Mr Doyle workshop and hope he
is going on well and has plenty of work. I suppose
trade is a bit dull at present. Dear Mother I hope you are not worrying about me
as I am in the best of health Thank God. Tell Father I am very sorry to hear about Robin and
hope he is quite well now. I hope Tom will be home
soon and is in the best of health. It was very thoughtfull
of him to send home his card, for you to get what money
he had saved. Remind him in your next letter to tell
Mockay I was asking for him. I will be very glad to have the Photo's of you all as
you mentioned in your last letter. if you have not
them taken yet or are waiting for news from Tom
dont be in a hurry to answered my letter. Tell
Grandmother and Shames and all at home I was
asking for them. also if you ever see Mrs P Fogarty
or Frank the tell them I was asking for them all I left my watch at Arbour Hill Barracks. I am get
sure any day you could call up there you could get
it you could give it tp John. I left my overcoat in
the house on Cabra Road but I suppose it was
taken away by the military. I filled up a form 2 about my coat and watch. so I hope you will be able
to get them. You will have no trouble as regeard the
watch, but if you think best don't bother about coat
our uniforms were not sent home. Your letter can be as large as a full sheet of fools cap
but if you are sending any small notes from
any friends, you letter and note's must be no longer
than a full sheet of fools cap. I hope John is able to
make soom use of the bike. no use letting it hang
there to rust. My next letter will be in about two
months. I Remain dear Mother
Your affectionate son
Patrick Fogarty 3 In replying to this letter, please write on the envelope:
NUMBER 9.169 NAME P.Fogarty
PORTLAND. PRISON The following regulations as to communications, by Visit or Letter, between prisoners
and their families are notified for the information of their correspondents. The permission to write and receive Letters, is given to prisoners for the
purpose of enabling them to keep up a connection with their respectable friends and
not that they may be kept informed of public events. All Letters are read by Prison Authorities. They must be legibly
written and not crossed. Any which are of an objectionable tendency, either to or
from prisoners, or containing slang, or improper expressions, will be suppressed. Prisoner are permitted to receive and to write a letter at intervals, which
depend on the rules of the stage they attain by industry and good conduct; but matters
of special importance to a prisoner may be communicated at any time by Letter (prepaid)
to the Governor who will inform the prisoner thereof, if expedient. In case of misconduct, the privilege of receiving and writing a Letter may
be forfeited for a time. Money, Books, Postage Stamps, Food, Tobacco, Clothes &c, should not be
sent to Prisoners, for their use in prison, as nothing is allowed to be received at the
Prison for that purpose. Persons attempting to clandestinely communicate with, or to introduce any
article to or for prisoners, are liable to fine and imprisonment, and any prisoner
concerned in such practices is liable to be severely punished. Prisoners' friends are sometimes applied to by unauthorised persons, to send
Money &c, to them privately, under pretence that they can apply it for the benefit
of the prisoners, and under such fraudulent pretence, such application, received by the friends
of a prisoner should be, at once, forwarded by them to the Governor. Prisoners are allowed to receive Visits from their friends, according to
rules, at intervals which depend on their stage. When visits are due to prisoners notification will be sent to the friends
whom they desire to visit them.
No. 243.
(8254)
This letter was written by Patrick Fogarty (1895 – 1920) to his mother Margaret (b.1879) while Patrick was detained in Portland Prison. Patrick served during Easter Week and was subsequently sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted to three years penal servitude and he was released in 1917. Fogarty continued to serve until his death which was due to pneumonia contracted while on duty with the IRA outside Mountjoy Prison in April 1920. In this letter Patrick reassures his mother he is in the best of health and mentions his brothers John and Thomas (1898 – 1962) who also served during Easter Week. Patrick informs his mother that he left his watch at Arbour Hill Barracks and his overcoat in a house in Cabra and that he has filled in a form for the return of both. He does note that the coat may be more difficult to return as their uniforms were not sent home. Before signing off Patrick informs his mother of her rights to write back to him.
How to cite
Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__2565.html)
- Place
- Portland Prison, Portland, Dorset, England
- Mentioned in
- Letter from Patrick Fogarty to his mother, 8 September 1916