Patrick Twohig who wrote Green Tears for Hecuba was a Roman Catholic priest from the area at that time, and knew Macroom and the Auxiliaries well. His account of J Company is surprisingly accurate, when one compares his recollection of the men, with the ADRIC Register. Pulling out his pen portraits of the Auxiliaries gleaned from the local schoolmaster arrest on 26 Feb 1921, the day after Coolavohig Ambush:-
" Paddy Carroll "(Register has 631, J Carroll M.C and L Carroll no 156 in J Coy) claimed to be a native of Westport, Mayo though Twohig had his doubts. Carroll claimed to be a 1st Cousin of Major John McBride executed in 1916, and also a native of Westport. Twohig does add that "just recently I came across sound evidence that Carroll was genuine and tried to help the prisoners any way he could, and on one occasion saved the life of one of them". Leo Carroll is the man referred to
McConnell (Register has W R McConnell no.632 in J Coy) was the Intelligence officer and came from Dublin. In fact he was the IO and gave evidence at the inquiry into the ambush at which Seafield Grant died, signing himself as IO. Twohig in Green Tears for Hecuba mentions him interrogating prisoners. McConnell in fact came from Belfast
Grundy (Register has J W Grundy no 109 who was a Section Leader but from Lancashire - and W A Grundy no 1782 from Nottingham were both in J Coy) was from Northern Ireland and was a section leader in Green Tears. However neither of these two was from Northern Ireland
Corporal English an old ex-soldier from Tipperary who worked in the Macroom kitchens
Jackson (Register has G Jackson no 329 in J Coy) was from Belfast. The John Jackson in J Coy came from Scotland
McCarthy from Dunmanway. RIC register has a Dermot McCarthy born Apr/Jun 1902 in Dunmanway, Cork, the son of an RIC constable. This is undoubtedly him, but I cannot fine him on ADRIC register, he could have been a Black & Tan
Fothergill (Register has H C Fothergill no 675 in J Coy) from Kerry. Twohig assumes the name was false. H C Fothergill in J Coy was Welsh, but had held his commission originally with Munsters whose depot was in Tralee, Kerry which might explain what was going on here
Clancy who was said to have beaten a prisoner to death
Williams, the new CO of J Coy after Seafield Grant's death, Twohig refers to as "pockface, disturbingly beady eyes, a long semitic nose and a "tongue that savoured strongly of the guard-room - a not very prepossessing appearance for a not very lovable character