Meanwhile, Liam Lynch, aware of the situation, sent Malone a message that "we will get you out of there. This man was, however, executed by the IRA before he could ever set foot on the island. They needed someone who could identify the IRA man with absolute certainty so they sent for someone who could pinpoint the Republican. However, the British were faced with a problem. A fellow prisoner recognised Malone and let slip his identity to the British. In the spring of 1921, Tomas Malone (alias Sean Forde), was one of the Spike prisoners, although the prison authorities were not aware that they were detaining such a prominent Republican on the island. (Eventually a number of hunger strikes broke out in protest at the conditions). Moreover, the food was so bad that the prisoners often refused to eat it. In bad weather, the timber huts in which they were housed would become impossible to live in. The general conditions under which the men were confined were extremely poor. During the War of Independence the British again chose Spike as an internment camp for republicans and their sympathisers. It had been used by Cromwellians and Williamites as a camp for convicts awaiting deportation to the different convict settlements (e.g. Spike had a long history as a place of detention.
A daring escape of three IRA volunteers from Spike Island detention centre took place in April 1921.
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