The Real Chief - Liam Lynch (22 page)

Without the private letters and documents given to me by Biddy O'Callaghan and her husband Thomas this book would be very different, so I am deeply indebted to them for trusting me with this material. I am also indebted to Moss O'Connor and Diar­muid Mullins who were not alone responsible for putting me in touch with Biddy O'Callaghan but in also supplying me with information which broadened the scope of my research; I am grateful to Dermot Walsh, Nick Condon and Liam Irwin who were responsible for initiating the chain of these events.

A sincere word of gratitude is due to the many who went out of their way to help in my research, people like Noel Crowley, Mary Moroney and Marie Browne of the Ennis County Library, also Thomas McCarthy, Cork City Library, the Library staff at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; the continuous assistance of the staff in the Archives Department of University College, Dub­lin, and that department for the use of material, also the Mul­­­cahy Trust for access to, and permission to quote from, the papers of Richard Mulcahy; Raymond Smith of
Independent News­­papers
for his helpful advice and assistance in research; the Library staff of the
Irish Independent
Newspapers, the
Irish Press
, the
Irish Times
, the
Cork Examiner
, the
Cork Weekly Examiner
, the
Limerick Leader
, the
Clonmel
Nationalist
, the
Clonmel Chro­nicle
, the
Clare Cham­pion
, the
Kerryman
, the
Southern Star
and the
Tipperary Star
; Donncha O'Dulaing of
RTÉ
, Domhnal Mac Giolla Phoil and Eily Hales Mc­Carthy for their continuous help and encouragement; also Ned Murphy, Gus Nugent, Mick O'Neill, Jim Kearney, Bill Powell, Seán MacBride, Bill Mc­Kenna, John Flana­gan, Tommy Cassidy, Con Donovan, John O'Leary, Joe Walsh, Mary Ann Nugent, Peggy Quinlan, Mike Hennessy, Gerry Smyth, Anne-Marie White, John Purcell, Sandra Alley, Maura Greene, Micheline Egan, Todd Andrews, Liam Deasy, Tom Barry, Matt Flood, Paddy O'Brien (Lis­carroll) Ernest Blythe, Johnny Fanning, Madge Hales Murphy, Michael Brennan, Emmet Dalton, Dan Caha­lane, Seán Hyde, Frank Aiken and Pat O'Mahony.

The photographs supplied by Christy O'Callaghan, Helena O'Callaghan, Bernadette O'Connor Ó Liatháin, Pat O'Mahony, Mary O'Mahony, Frank Flynn, John Gallahue, Paddy O'Brien, Margaret O'Brien, Michael McGrath, Michael MacEvilly, Peter Somers and Con O'Donovan are an important en­hance­ment to this book.

Grateful thanks is also due to the staff at the National Lib­rary, the Public Records Office, the British Library Board News­paper, Clonmel County Clinic, Clonmel County Registrar's Office and Radio Telefís Éireann Sound Archives.

A sincere thank you to all at Mercier Press, and especially my editor, Mary Feehan, who worked with me through the final draft of the manuscript. A special word of gratitude is due to mem­­­bers of my family and to my many relatives and friends for their patience throughout my years of research and writing.

I want to thank the many people for their hospitality during the course of my research; thanks is also due to those who could not help directly but took the trouble to write or telephone ex­plaining where information could he obtained.

Any omission in this acknowledgement has not been deli­berate, as the assistance of all has been gratefully accepted.