BEHIND IRELAND’S FINAL REBELLION AND … AN AMERICAN DREAM

By Michael Gerard

SPECIAL TO CEG was arrested and imprisoned by the Staters (Free State us back to the double history lesson of the book. Over the Army). years, we have built a successful processing machinery busiHis incarceration at the Tintown internment camp in The ness that today serves the greater southeast region of

Construction people like to read about machinery and Curragh, Co Kildare took a toll on his health, and he was America. Our two American-born sons joined the business many of them like to read about other subjects, too — like close to death when the prisoners’ hunger strike was finally after graduating from the University of South Carolina and history and war and such. Some people who make and sell called off. After his release, he returned to his tailor trade and are already helping to expand it to new heights. machinery also like to write books and sometimes a writer eventually married and raised a family. He died suddenly in Despite the pressures of running this business, I have comes out of this mix who can combine history, war and April 1969 and I was left with only memories and unan- managed to find the time (that means late night and early actual machinery into their books. I am such a writer — I swered questions. One of those memories was that of his morning hours) to explore my writing hobby. I wrote and played Cowboys and Indians around sandpit machinery as a expressed regret at not having emigrated to America like published ‘The Kimberley File’ several years ago, a novel child in my native Ireland. Little did I know at the time that many of his war comrades did. about an unwitting machinery salesman in South Africa this type of machinery At his funeral, I decided that I caught up in the world of illegal diamonds. That story takes would one day be my liveli- would make good on his missed place mostly in the southern countries of Africa, with part of hood and I would set up a opportunity — I would someday the story unfolding in Ireland. It has taken me many years to business in South Carolina emigrate to America. Book 2 is find a suitable narrative voice to tell the story of the hard doing just that — Sand based on my long journey — struggle that young Irish women and men like my father Science. having to grow up in a hurry endured in The Tan War of 1919-1921. They finally won the

My new book ‘Ireland’s when my father died, I worked freedom that Irish rebels had fought and died for over 700 Final Rebellion and An my way through college and set years, resulting in the creation of The Irish Free State in American Dream’ is a two- off on my quest for the Holy 1921, followed immediately by a savage and bloody Civil book set. Book 1 is about Grail — America. War between the Pro and Anti Treaty forces. the rebellion that succeeded After various jobs around The objective of Book 1 ‘Just One of the Boys’ was to use in winning Irish freedom and Ireland, I found my way back to the fictional Kane family to portray the events in Irish history the founding of The Irish the sandpit machinery. I was for- that propelled ordinary Irish men and women to take up arms Free State in 1921 — this tunate to get hired by an Irish in 1919 and fight the occupying British authorities to a standyear we celebrate the 100th corporation that was manufactur- still and to the negotiating table. It was these fearless fighters anniversary of that great event. The protagonist in this book is based on my own father’s life and his involvement in the Tan War of 1919-1921. My dad was an unassuming tailor, tall and straight, who always wore a shirt and tie and smoked Carroll’s cigarettes. He was 57 when I saw the light as the youngest of his five children. We were a poor family among poor neighbors in rural County Mayo, Ireland. During my childhood, the introduction of cheap ready-made suits were destroying the livelihood of the tailor, but dad worked at his bench every day, making clothes or doing alterations for customers. From an early age, I knew that he had been an active fightMichael “Gerry” Gerard ing portable screeners and they had the vision of sending their salesmen to the corners of the world to find customers — that was music to my ears. I worked for them all over England and then spent some years based in South Africa selling into the vast mining market there, all the while looking for my opportunity to go to America. That chance finally came, and my wife and I arrived in South Carolina in January 1985 and we started from scratch. It was a baptism of fire as I struggled to understand their Southern accent and they struggled to keep up with my fast-talking Irish brogue. My target prospects were mostly using large static and the general population of Ireland who sheltered and cared for them, that secured the Irish victory — they are the unsung heroes that I wanted to highlight and raise to their rightful place. I thought it fitting to continue the Kane family history theme to the fulfillment of my father’s dream with Book 2 ‘An American Dream.’ In this book, Sean Kane portrays my own life journey as I pursued that dream. An Irish Catholic landing into the heart of the Bible belt of the American South certainly added up to a personal and business challenge, but we were blessed, and it worked out fine — we continue to live and work and prosper in this great country. er during the 1919-1921 Irish War of Independence, and he machinery in the sand mines and quarries, and ever so polite- ‘Ireland’s Final Rebellion and An American dream’ was received a small state pension for that service. He did not like ly told me that they had no place for my small portable published through KDP Amazon on March 1, 2021, and is to talk much about his participation in the conflict and equipment. Being that I was in the Bible belt, I set my sights available on Amazon.com as both an e-book and paperback. deflected my questions about ‘The Tan War,’ saying he on a biblical theme to win them over — ‘instead of bringing It is an enjoyable read, especially around St. Patrick’s Day would tell me more when I was older. I did hear enough in the mountain to Mohammad, why not bring Mohammad to and during these trying times that we are all going through. family-circle conversation and from listening in on the regu- the mountain.’ Author website is www.michaelgerardauthor.com where lar get-togethers of his Old IRA comrades at our tailor shop We took our portable screening machines right up to the a link to Amazon is available. Readers comments are to form my own picture of his life. sandbank face, and instead of the mine owner hauling prod- always welcome at michaelgerardcmi@gmail.com. 

Born as the second of eight children in 1897, he grew up uct to his stationary processing plant, in a turbulent period of Irish history — the high emigration we got his customer to haul the aftermath of The Great Famine, the tail end of The Land screened material across his pit for Wars tied to the Land League, World War 1 and the 1916 him and over his scales. The rest is Easter Rising. He was very close with his grandmother who history (as the saying lived into her late 90s. She was a Seanachie (Gaelic story- goes) and brings teller) who spoke only Gaelic and filled his head with the feats of the mystic warrior heroes of Irish Legend, and the torturous Irish history of the previous few centuries. He became active in various resistance movements (the IRB, Irish Volunteers and Sinn Fein) when the Irish population was revulsed by the summary executions of dozens of Irish Rebels from the failed 1916 Rising. Subsequently he became a full-time IRA fighter on the run during the 1919-1921 campaign and fought without capture up to the declaration of the truce. He was vehemently Anti-Treaty but chose neutrality during the Civil War rather than take up arms against his former comrades and went back to his tailor’s bench — until he