#OnThisDay 1763 William MacNeven, “The Father of American Chemistry”, was born in Galway. MacNeven, a United Irishman, was arrested in 1798 before the Rising, imprisoned until 1802 & then exiled. He left for the US & wrote “Exposition of the Atomic Theory”.
#OnThisDay 1920 Tomás MacCurtain, Lord Mayor of Cork & Commandant of 1st Cork Brigade, was shot dead in his home in front of his wife and children by members of the RIC. MacCurtain had mobilised the Cork Volunteers during the Rising & was imprisoned afterwards.
#OnThisDay 1921 Tom Barry & the West Cork IRA was surrounded & outnumbered by the RIC & British Army at Crossbarry. Not willing to surrender, Barry & his men went on the offensive & fought their way out of the encirclement, killing 10 enemy & losing 4 men.
#OnThisDay 1919 Dublin IRA raided Collinstown Aerodrome (now Dublin Airport) & took 75 rifles, 72 bayonets & 4000 rds of ammo. This was the IRA’s most successful raid, which involved rushing the sentries, getaway cars, British army uniforms, drugging dogs &more.
#OnThisDay 1913 Dr Aidan MacCarthy was born in Castletownbere, Cork. MacCarthy joined the RAF on a coin-toss, survived Dunkirk, imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp & was in Nagasaki when the atomic bomb was dropped. He then saved the Japanese guards’ lives.
The Irish at War 