Come Here To Me!

Yesterday we linked to a three-part History Channel documentary on the world underneath the city of Dublin. It reminded me of something I’d read along the way, so I rooted out a book. The excerpt below comes from Padraic O’ Farrell’s ‘The Ernie O’ Malley Story’ (Mercier,1983)

“Ernie received a note written by Rory O’ Connor in Mountjoy on 12 September. It told him of a tunnel leading to the Four Courts which could be used if they had left any important documents behind. One piece of folklore attached to that area of the city concerned a tunnel from there to Christchurch, built in the thirteenth century when a Dominican friary of St. Saviour occupied the Four Courts site. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, an army officer was accidentally locked in the tunnel which was used for storing ceremonial paraphernalia. He was soon documented as ‘missing, presumed dead’ until the next occasion demanding the opening of the tunnel. Near its entrance was discovered the skeleton of the officer and in the bones of his right hand was his sword. Lying about were the broken bone fragments of up to 250 rats that had attacked and had been beaten off by the mans sword before he himself was overcome.”

Excellent. Does anyone know any more about this tale?