Internees tunnel their way to freedom from Kilworth and Rath prison camps

Cork, 17 September 1921 – A large number of internees held at the Kilworth camp in Co. Cork are understood to have staged a dramatic escape. The camp, situated midway between Fermoy and Mitchelstown, is the largest military camp in the south of Ireland.

On 14 September, 25 prisoners were transferred, under heavy guard, to another detention centre. The prevailing theory is that the remaining prisoners, having already dug a tunnel with a view to escaping, were spurred into immediate action, fearing that they would also be transferred and their opportunity would be lost. When lorries came to remove them from the camp, only a couple of internees were left.

There was considerable military activity in the countryside around the camp yesterday but, as yet, there have been no reports of any prisoners being recaptured.

The Kilworth escape comes only a week after about 100 internees broke free from Rath internment camp in the Curragh by very similar methods. The internees at Rath had dug tunnels beneath the floors of their huts and burrowed their way to freedom.

Over 1,200 men have been interned in the Curragh for the last nine to 10 months.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]