With the end of the mass hunger strikes many men were released within a month, on the condition that they sign an oath of loyalty to the newly established Irish Free State. Prisoner leader Peadar O’Donnell expressed his feelings on the required signature: "...they demanded that each one sign a form that he would accept the rule of the new garrison in Ireland."O'Donnell, pg 220. Although many of the internees were released in November 1923, five or six hundred remained incarcerated into late December.Andrews, C.S., (2001), Dublin Made Me, Lilliput Press Dublin, pg 303 In June 1924 one hundred and twenty detainees were released from different prisons leaving three hundred still incarcerated.MacEoin, pg 104 Ernie O'Malley - the assistant chief of staff of the Anti-Treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War was released from the Curragh, along with Seán Russell, on 17 July 1924, well over a year after the end of hostilities.Richard English and Cormac O'Malley (ed.) (1991), Prisoners: the Civil War Letters of Ernie O'Malley, Poolbeg Press, Dublin, pp 36 It was not until January 1926 that the last republican prisoners were released from Derry Gaol in Northern Ireland.Thorne, Volume II, pg 285
