A poem in memory of Terence MacSwiney, in the week of the 100th anniversary of his death 

Cork poet John Fitzgerald reflected on the life and tragic death of the Lord Mayor of Cork while visiting the ancient Clearagh Stone near Kilmurry, the area where Terence MacSwiney's father came from 

The 100th anniversary of the death of Terence MacSwiney takes place on Saturday, October 25. 

IN AUGUST 1920, Terence MacSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork and MP for Mid-Cork, was arrested for having in his possession a number of ‘seditious articles and documents’ including a cipher key for use in decoding secret RIC messages.

Four days later, on 16 August, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment in Brixton Prison. He immediately went on hunger strike in protest, dying in a coma after 74 days of food deprivation on   October 25, 1920.