For his part in the 1867 Irish Uprising, teenage political activist Pat Welsh found himself on the run from the authorities in the latter stages of that year.
One evening, he hid from security forces in Dublin at the docks in the vicinity of Pigeon House Fort, on the banks of the River Liffey. Welsh was hiding with the hope of boarding a ship bound for Scotland, however, to his horror, he found himself being confronted by a British soldier wielding a rifle.
The soldier, who was on patrol with the North British Fusiliers Regiment, barked at Welsh:
“Halt he who goes there?”
Pat Welsh instantly detected an Irish accent and pleaded, Irishman to Irishman, that he had no sinister intentions and only longed for a life of peace in Glasgow. The soldier, a County Clare man from Ennis, understood the plea, as he himself had previously left home to join the army in England. Thus, at considerable risk to himself, he led Welsh to the appropriate ship. Before parting, the pair exchanged names.
The name of the soldier was Thomas Maley.
This is just a little snippet from Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys by Liam Kelly, Matt Corr and David Potter.
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