Civil War Prisoner Art

"These objects were created by a republican prisoner called William O’Mahony while incarcerated in Cork Gaol during the Civil War in 1922. Included are a Celtic Cross constructed of matchsticks and broken glass, a Crucifix made of .303 rifle bullet cases, and a hand-painted replica of the Irish Proclamation. William gave them to my father’s cousin, Madge Walsh, in the 1920s in recognition of her role in Cumann na mBan during the War of Independence. She lived in Tivoli in Cork City and I met her once or twice when I was a child in the late 1970s. I don’t know much about her exploits during the war, but I imagine she was quite active given that she was gifted these specially created items."