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Shortly after the outbreak of war in 1914, all Germans and other foreign nationals living in Ireland, which was then still part of the British Empire, were arrested and interned as enemy aliens. This happened to thousands of men all over Ireland who had been born in either Germany or Austria. The majority were civilians. However, at one stage almost half the population of the camp was made up of sailors and ships’ officers. But after the 1916 rising, these men were shipped back to England. One of the best known civilian internees in Oldcastle was a German national called Aloys Fleischman. A musician and composer, he had been living in Cork for many years and his children were born there. His daughter Ruth has written of his experiences in the camp and the effect his interment had on the family. However, before we hear from Ruth, local historian Gerry Boylan tells the story of how and why the Oldcastle former workhouse became an internment camp housing 700 souls.

Location: The site of Oldcastle Internment Camp. 53°46'12.1"N 7°09'44.7"W
Image: A painting of the camp by one of the internees, whose name remains unknown
Image courtesy of Gerry Boylan