On Christmas Day 1916 Liam Langley and fellow prisoners from Reading Jail arrived in Kingstown Harbour (Dun Laoghaire). Liam and the internees from the West did not make it home in time for Christmas Day. This was hard on Liam's mother, a widow with an only child and now on her own in Tuam for Christmas.The Irish Independent of 26 December 1916 reported that during the three weeks before their release many of the prisoners had been unwell suffering from flu like symptoms.
The men were only told on Sunday afternoon, Christmas Eve, between 2 and 3pm, that their release was imminent, until this time they had no idea of what was coming. They had expected to spend Christmas in prison and had prepared for this event. Once news came through of their release they wasted no time and packed up their few belongings.
Buses brought the prisoners to Paddington Station, London, a journey today of just over an hour, but in 1916 it probably took almost two hours by bus. Here, they changed bus and then headed across London to Euston Station. Shortly before 8pm they left Euston Station by train and made the 3am sailing from Holyhead, arriving in Kingstown, Dublin at 6.30am. They then boarded a train to Westland Row station where large numbers of people turned up to greet them.
Many well known prisoners were released in this group along with Liam Langley, these included: Sean T. O’Kelly, T.C.; P.T. Daly, T.C.; Arthur Griffith; Henry Dixon; Padraig O’Maille, Connemara; Ex-Ald. W. Cole; Peter M. Sweeney, Loughrea; Albert Cotton, Belfast; Terence McSwiney, Cork; , Joseph McBride, Mayo; Capt Morkan; George Nicholls, Galway; Cathal O’Shannon, Belfast; Darell Figgis, Achill; Ernest Blythe, Belfast; John J. Scollan, Dublin; Sean Milroy, Dublin; Seamus Reader Robinson, Glasgow; Seamus Robinson, Dublin; and Joseph R. Robinson, Glasgow.
Crowds at Westland Row Railway station welcoming home the internees Christmas 1916. Photo National Library of Ireland
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| Irish Examiner 27 Dec 1916 |
