Michael Collins, News

Freemans Journal August 21st 1921

100-Year-Old Newspaper

As we come to the end of 2022, the centenary year of the death of Michael Collins, I want to tell you about an original 100-year-old newspaper we have recently added to our museum collection.

It’s “The Freeman’s Journal” of Monday August 21st 1922, the first day of Michael Collins’ last visit to Cork and the day before he was shot.

The headlines and headings of page five really show how dangerous life for Michael Collins was at the time, with his car being shot up in Dublin on the Friday before he was killed. Luckily, he wasn’t in it at the time.

The day after the newspaper was published, he was going on a tour of inspection of West Cork and again the headings on page five tell us that he would be traveling in a combat zone.

Towns located along the route of his tour on Tuesday the 22nd, such as Bandon, Clonakilty and Skibbereen are mentioned in the Freeman’s Journal as being scenes of fighting just a day or two before.

There are some more very interesting and tragic Civil War centenaries coming up in 2023.

A Happy and prosperous New Year to all our Friends and Visitors.

Tim Crowley