1899 Jan 13. Born 16 Featherbed Lane , Cork
1901 census at Featherbed Lane
1911 census at Featherbed Lane.
1917 Jun 16. He enlisted at the age of 18yrs 2 months with the Royal Munster Fusiliers at Cork. He had been living with his mother Bridget O’Brien at 16 Reeds Avenue, Bandon Road, Cork. Hhis father is James O'Brien .He gave his occupation as that of a carter and unmarried. Service no 3/7329
1917 Jun 18. He transferred from the RMF (3rd Battalion) to the Royal Irish Regiment (4th Battalion). His service record was not good.. There were a lot of discipline black marks against him. Service no 6053
1917 Dec 17 to 21 In Queenstown Hospital - debility
Enlisted in Royal Irish Regt. had deserted, and then had re-enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) under his mother’s maiden name (Ahern)
1917 Dec 21 Posted as a deserter
He then joined RASC under an Alias, Aherne
1919 Jul 7 R-enlisted in RASC
1921 Jan 14 Discharged from RASC
1921 Apr 11 Shot Cork, but his body was secretly buried. (Collins Papers, Military Archives, A/0649). There do not appear to be any records verifying what spying he was accused of.
1922 Mar 14. His mother Mrs B. O’Brien of 16 Reeds Avenue (off Barrack Street) in Cork city later wrote to the Free State Minister of Defence asking for information about the fate of her son. She stated that her son Michael had had in his possession at the time of his disappearance his ‘Pensions Ring Paper’ and his unemployment card. She indicated that he had been a private in the RASC, with the Regimental Number M/350212. She described him as about 5 feet, 6 inches in height, with fair hair and blue eyes, and wearing a Martin Henry suit, black lace boots, and a light cap. Responding to her enquiry on 14 March 1922, an official of the Defence Ministry revealed that ‘records go to show that your son was arrested on a charge of espionage, court-martialled by a duly authorised authority, found guilty, and executed on the 11th April 1921’.
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