I’m surprised that THE IRISH POST seems unaware of the history of this elegant 19th Century edifice between King’s X Station and the Eurostar Terminalat St Pancras Station, for many 1916 Insurgents trained there with the IRISH VOLUNTEERS before the Rising.
Michael Collins, Joe Good and Ernie and Sean Nunan and John “Blimey” O’Connor trained there. Good and the Nunans were London-Born and bred. On Easter Monday. Good and a couple of Volunteers from Liverpool and Glasgow held O’Connell Bridge whilst, behind them other Volunteers broke into premises on Bachelors Walk and Eden Quay to fortify them. All those named were interned in Frongoch. Sean Nunan was later Minister in Washington, and Ernie, an always cheerful and dapper gent with a Cockney accent worked with Irish Shipping in Aston Quay, when I worked there, but I didn’t know of his “rebel” history. Collins and Good, young men with inquiring minds, attended a talk on Socialism, and when in Frongoch discovered that they’d been at the same talk. Neither Collins nor the speaker were known to the world when Collins was in Frongoch but the following year the speaker came to its attntion -V.I. Lenin.
Poor Enda Kennny got into his head that while Collins was very busy and avoiding arrest by the British and Lenin had his hands full in Russia, the latter took a Sabbatical to slip into Ireland to consult Collins on how to finance a Revolution.
Imagine the headlines when Lenin got home and reported to the Politburo – “Michael Collins, Man of Cork, proves Ireland can Float A Loan!” and the reply of a Comrade – “I, Josef Stalin, Man of Steel, will build Socialism in One Country.”
I believe Padraig O Conaire also trained in the German Gymnasium.
Donal Kennedy
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