#OnThisDay 1921 East Clare IRA, led by Michael Brennan ambush a patrol of Black and Tans at Cratloe. Two RIC officers were killed & many others wounded. The driver was hit but managed to get the Crossley out of the ambush. One IRA Vol was hit by friendly fire.
#OnThisDay 1702 Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally was born in France, his father, a Jacobite from Tuam. Lally fought with the Irish Brigade at Fontenoy, aided Bonnie Prince Charlie in Scotland but was beaten by the British (or rather another Irishman, Sir Eyre Coote of Limerick) in India. For this, he was beheaded in Paris.
#OnThisDay 1921 IRA attack a night train carrying 150 British troops outside of Dungloe, Donegal. A ferocious firefight took place & the British had a Lewis machinegun on the roof of the engine. The IRA lost none & claimed to have killed or wounded 6-12.
#OnThisDay 1885 Thomas Ashe was born in Kerry. Ashe was a member of the IRB, Gaelic League & was a founding member of the Irish Volunteers. Despite being outnumbered, Ashe led a very successful attack on an RIC Barracks in Ashbourne during the Easter Rising.
#OnThisDay 1792 Major General Robert Patterson was born in Tyrone. Patterson’s family fled to Philadelphia after his father’s involvement in 1798. Robert briefly fought in the Civil War but failed to retake Harper’s Ferry & was discharged in July 1861.
The Irish at War 