Nationalist and Leinster Times, February 1921.
Kevin
Barry's Brother.
Possession of a braid of hair.
From: Mr
M.F. Healy:
In
reference to the case of Michael Barry, brother of the late Kevin
Barry recently arrested:-
This boy
has, after a trial conducted without any notice to his family or
friends, been sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment upon charges
which deserve some further investigation. The Charges against
Michael were:-
(1)
Being in possession of arms (not in a martial law area).
(2)
Being in possession of uniform.
(3)
Cutting off a girl's hair.
As the
first two charges referred to (1) two cartridges (2) two little
Celtic caps that Michael and Kevin used to wear when they were 10
and 8 years old. It is to be hoped that the real animus lay behind
the third charge.
As to
this, it is true that there had been a hair-cutting outrage some 15
miles away, but the only incriminating evidence against Michael
Barry was a braid of girl's hair, found in his house.
But what
was the true explanations of this braid?
Many
years ago Michael Barry's aunt entered a convent to join a community
of nuns. As is known to everybody except military courts when a lady
takes the vows admitting her to such an Order she sacrifices amongst
other things, her hair, which is cut off, and kept by her family as
one of the few mementos left to them of a relative who is as if dead
to the world. Of course this good nun cannot testify to anything
except the one incident - that here is an innocent explanation of
the braid of hair.
The
relatives of Michael Barry (aged 20) have learned that he is at
present at Beresford Barrack, Curragh Camp, and that he has been
sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment.
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