Jerry "The Bomber" Foley, late of Dromtrasna Collins and The Hill, was buried in Orange County, New Jersey, USA in 1978. However, confirmation of his death did not reach Abbeyfeale until 1993, and he was prayed for at all Masses on a Sunday in July of that year.
Jerry played an active role in the civil war during the early twenties and took part in many daring raids and ambushes. Some of his exploits were recorded for posterity in a famous song composed by local balladeer, Tade Gowran. (See POETRY section)
Jerry espoused the republican cause during this terrible period in our country`s history, and continued a lone campaign in Abbeyfeale and surrounding districts, even after the end of "official" hostilities. A unit of the Free State Army was stationed in Eccleston`s building at Joy`s Corner and, from his vantage point below Pat`s Faley`s Height on Abbeyfeale Hill, Jerry would fire sniper-fashion at the soldiers and send them scurrying for cover.
He would sleep at night in various "safe" houses while the authorities launched massive searches to try and locate him. They would call late at night to Frank Foley, older brother of Jerry, and force him to accompany them in their lorries and act as a human shield to discourage attacks.
One morning, a somewhat bedraggled young man with a rifle arrived at the family home on Abbeyfeale Hill looking for Jerry. He claimed to be "on the run" and wanted to join up with other renegade republican. He had heard that Jerry called home regularly for a change of clothing and was anxious to meet him. Frank Foley denied all knowledge of Jerry`s whereabouts and said that his brother never returned home because he knew that the house was being watched. The young man persisted for a while and then left. Frank walked out after him and discovered about 100 armed soldiers surrounding the little cottage!
Jerry was eventually wounded and captured at Dan "The Gonce" Collins` house in Meenahela. The barking of a dog awoke him in the night and he looked out to see the Free State soldiers advancing on the house. Not wanting to be taken prisoner, he decided to fight his way out. He advanced through the front door, firing rapidly, and two soldiers were hit – one of them fatally. (Incredibly and tragically, the dead man was a cousin of Jerry`s!) With the element of surprise in his favour, he made for the high ground at the back of Dan Collins` house, firing as he went, and then raced down the valley through the bog on the other side towards a cross-ditch which would afford him cover and enable him to return fire on the soldiers who, at this stage, were peppering the ground all around him with bullets.
He had almost reached the safety of the ditch, and certain escape, when he encountered a barbed wire fence running across his path. He attempted to crawl under the wire but, encumbered with his bandoleer and rifle, he became tangled up in the wire and, as he struggled to free himself, he was shot in the right side.
Jerry was now unable to fire. The soldiers, under the command of Captain Mortell, advanced cautiously and gathered around him, still pointing their rifles menacingly. With two of their comrades down, feelings were understandably running high, and some of them wanted to finish the job, there and then.
However, accompanying the Free State soldiers that day was well-known Kerry footballer, Captain Con Brosnihan from Moyvane. He quickly diffused the situation and ordered that Jerry be taken prisoner. Jerry would afterwards credit Con Brosnihan with saving his life.
Seriously wounded and not expected to live, Jerry was transferred to the hospital wing of Limerick Prison where an emergency operation was carried out.
By a strange coincidence, on the night that Jerry was brought in to Limerick Prison, three other Abbeyfeale Republican Prisoners were taking their leave of the place – albeit without the knowledge or permission of their jailers! Jimmy Collins (father of present MEP, Gerard Collins and local TD, Mike Joe Collins) Gerry Moloney (who later ran the butcher stall near Leen`s Hotel) and Larry "Ellen" Harnett (who went on to form Harnett`s Bakery in the town) dug a tunnel out under the wall and made good their escape.
Jerry recovered from his wounds but spent a long time in hospital. He was finally released when hostilities ground to a halt. He returned to Abbeyfeale but began to realize that his future now lay in America. Various sympathizers ran local house-dances to pay for his passage and he eventually departed for New York, probably through Canada.
He worked at various jobs including security guard and stevedore in the New York docks as well as running a bar. Finally, he married and settled down but, as time went by, he gradually lost contact with friends and relatives in Ireland, apart from infrequent letters to his brother, Frank. There were various rumours of his death down through the years and, in 1993, the rumours were at last confirmed.
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*We have published Jerry`s ballad in our POETRY section. If anyone out there has any further knowledge about him, either in Ireland or America, we would be delighted to hear from you. Also, anyone with a story to tell about a friend or relative during that period, might also like to contact us. Most of that generation are now dead, and their stories have died with them.We owe it to these brave people – from whatever side – not to forget them entirely.