THE MARKED MEN OF IRELAND.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14704, 3 June 1920, Page 2

THE MARKED MEN OF IRELAND.

(By Charles T. King.)

I have seen a great deal of the Royal Irish Constabulary, and at this moment j when these splendid Irishmen are doing' so much to save some of their fellont | Irishmen from themselves I would like I to pay them my small tribute of admira- ! tion. I My qualification is that I have been all over Ireland time and again. I am one of the few Englishmen who have seen much of Ireland. I have been there a. good many years running for the Daily Express. I have supped and I have drunk with the R-.1.C. I have seen much of them in their trim dark uniforms —and without- them. I have swum with them in the western waters that lave the coast of Conncmara. Swimming in the (true way, without impediments to the caresses of the sea, ,\v-e have floated on our backs on the sunlit waters, and have looked lazily up at the great head of Croagh Patrick, that western mountain where, every 'year, so many devout • Irish people, go in pilgrimage to pray. I have been with the R.I.C. in north, south, east, and west, sometimes sitting on the stile in the lush butter country down by the Shannon, sometimes in the melee of a faction fight , in Co. Mayo, or down' among the whirling mobs of the streets of Cork, and everywhere I have found them not only towering men of brawn, tall, cleanlimbed, handsome, agile, and of terrific muscular strength, but men of cool minds and sane, alert intelligence. No doubt I owe my life to the R.1.C.; for I have been in many i hot corner in the isle of dreams and love and tragedy—that land of blowers of bubbles. A certain slowness to draw batons and a certain swiftness to return the weapon to its scabbard I have found among tho outstanding characteristics of the R.I.C. l't always seemed to me. that when the whistle blew and they had to draw batons these big Irishmen always ceased cracking skulls much sooner than I would have ceased —and 1 am only a. Saxon descended from long generations of calm men of Bucks. Much of their more exciting work that 1 have seen has been that of preventing one procession of Irishmen who said they wanted Home. Rule from cracking , the pates ' of another procession of Irishmen who also said they' wanted Home Rule. All children love noise and sparks and fireworks. Once I rode in a cavalcade about a quarter of a mile long which the followers of Wm. O'Briend (who wanted Home Rule) took with them from Westport, Co. Mavo, in order to be able to hold a meeting at distant place which was hpstile ground as it was a stronghold of the Redmon ■ ites (who also wanted Home Rule). Going along in the morning sunlight on the outward iournev one of the young politicians, with great glee, showed me his revolver. 1 expressed surprise. "Sure, it will be dark when we come back," he said. It was. When we got into a. bit of rough country halfway back to Westport, we found what hostile country in the darkness meant We two Englishmen in . the cavalcade gripped our thick sticks, and amid much political uncertainty resolved that our lives at least ought to be preserved. On one side of the road rose the mountains, and on the other side at broken intervals lapped the sea. Now and then the one splendid non-political , party of Irishmen—the imperturbable members of the R.l.C.—counselled us to stop while a reconnaissance was made'. Save for an occasional jagged lump of rock that flew over our heads we got on very, well for a mile or two. Then! from : 'little valleys among the mountains,'came screaming, skirling hordes. In their voices, was that strange hlend' of savagery and delicious fun only .'to be found," I suppose, in Ireland. The hail of rocks increased. It was a great comfort to have the R.I.C. d.n.shii!<t-up and ...down. our lino in the semi-dark--ness amid the howls of the assaila.nt.iand. the* "tail h'.; me coat" replies from our cavalcade. Thanks to the R.I.C. wet. received little injury, but the attackers seemed to increase and persist. Presently, mv acquaintance of the inomiliar gleefully pulled out his revolver. There Were loud bangs and delightful little- sparks in the dark. That ended it. The en-

tire assailing army scurried away among the mountains like startled fnlibits. A few miles more, anil we were back m "friendly country," and bonfires and torches and blazing tar "barrels lloeked the night ol' Connaiigbt and 'hailed the return of the clivalcade. i toll this incident only to show something of the sort of won< I'orwhicli tho act, the resourcefulness, the superb forbearance, and tjie graiul courage-of, the 1t.1.C. a're. needed. Things arc' worse just now, but it. is fine ,to reniembe" that there is m Jrehmd, ainid many ■factions: and much folly, one tjchme, .lion-hearted, gentle-handed body of men of extraordinarily magiuiieent physique who are Irishmen all.