Risteard Mulcahy (b. 1922), Part 2

Track 1: Risteard Mulcahy discusses the circumstances, as told to him by his father, Richard (Dick) Mulcahy, about the surrender at Ashbourne following the Rising. He also outlines the reasons why his father was not executed in the aftermath. Track 2: The vacuum which existed following the return of the republicans from English prisons after the Rising is discussed, as is Richard Mulcahy’s first job after his return. The reorganisation and regrouping of the Irish Volunteers from 1918 is examined, the attempted conscription in 1918, and details of the split in the Irish Volunteers, are also explored. Track 3: Risteard Mulcahy talks about his father’s skills in organisation and delegation. Richard Mulcahy’s role in attempting to set up the Irish Army on the establishment of the Provisional Government, following the signing of the Treaty is discussed. Negotiations with the IRA, the Curragh Mutiny and its aftermath, and the shooting of Kevin O’Higgins are also discussed. Track 4: Negotiations with Northern Ireland at the time of the Civil War, the frustration felt by Richard Mulcahy, and the great danger of anarchy in Ireland are examined. Track 5: The women of Cumann na mBan who took the anti-Treaty side and his father’s antipathy towards them is recalled. The role taken by Richard Mulcahy in Irish politics in the years following the 1916-1923 period is described. Track 6: Cumann na nGaedheal, its membership and ethos in the 1920s, are discussed. Track 7: The role of Richard Mulcahy in ensuring the co-operation of the Irish Army with the new Fianna Fáil government from 1932 onward is explained. Track 8: The executed leaders of the 1916 Rising are recalled by Risteard Mulcahy, as are his parents. The Mulcahy family’s desire that their father’s historical legacy should be accurately recognised is emphasised.