#OnThisDay 1919 James Joseph Magennis VC was born in Belfast. Magennis was the only Victoria Cross recipient from Northern Ireland during WW2. However Magennis later fell on hard times & had to sell his VC but it was anonymously returned to him.
#OnThisDay 1920 John ‘Terry’ Sherlock, Fingal IRA was taken from his home by the Black and Tans, shot and bayonetted to death in a field. Sherlock had fought under Thomas Ashe at Ashbourne during the Easter Rising. Sherlock Park in Skerries is named after him.
Location of RIC barracks in Ireland in January 1919, and RIC barracks closed by January 1921.
#OnThisDay 1837 Dr James Lawlor Kiernan was born in Mountbellew, Galway. He joined the New York 69th as Assistant Surgeon but insisted on joining the fighting men. He was shot & left for dead in Missouri, recovered, captured, escaped & promoted to Brigadier General in 1863.
#OnThisDay 1651 Hugh Dubh O’Neill surrendered Limerick to Henry Ireton. They held out for months under siege, famine & disease but when English Royalists mutinied & turned the town’s guns inwards, O’Neill had to surrender. Civilians & their goods were unharmed. The English loyalists, namely Colonel Fennell who organised the mutiny was hanged as he was deemed a soldier of fortune. O’Neill escaped with his life.
The Irish at War 