April 1921 saw the arrival of the first internees at the newly opened internment camp in the ‘Military Prison in the Field Bere Island’. The internees comprised a diverse group of men including poets, writers, intellectuals and committed War of Independence volunteers.

Support for and contact with the internees fell to the women of the local Cumann na mBan who took to the task with enthusiasm. One of these remarkable women was Nora O’Neill who was captain of the Castletownbere company of Cumann na mBan.

In the course of their time in the camp as many as forty of the internees signed Nora’s autograph book, The entries in this autograph book provide us with an interesting insight into that troubled time.

Published with the support of Cork County Council.