The Irish at War

The Burning of Cork 1920

December 11, 2019 theirishatwar

#OnThisDay 1920 Black & Tans, Auxiliaries & British soldiers set Cork city ablaze, in retaliation for an earlier IRA ambush. The British set houses, businesses & the town hall alight and prevented firemen from quenching the fires causing £3 million of damage. #Ireland #History

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Martial Law declared in Munster counties 1920

December 10, 2019 theirishatwar

#OnThisDay 1920 The British Government, after escalating violent events during the War of Independence such as Bloody Sunday & the Kilmichael ambush, declared Martial Law in Cork, Kerry, Limerick & Tipperary. This would be extended in January. (Pic from 1916). #Ireland #History

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The Irish Brigade at the Battle of Villaviciosa 1719

December 10, 2019 theirishatwar

#OnThisDay 1710 The Irish Brigade fought & won at the Battle of Villaviciosa, Spain. Lt. Gen. O’Mahoney was at the forefront of this victory when his cavalry rushed the right flank of the enemy & captured 400 mules laden with “The plunder of Castile”.

#Ireland #History #Spain

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IRA POWs released from prison camps 1921

December 9, 2019 theirishatwar

#OnThisDay 1921 Republican prisoners are released from POW camps following the signing of the Treaty. 1,700 are released from the notoriously poorly run Ballykinlar camp in Co. Down, where POWs had organised their own currency, church, hospital & an orchestra.

#Ireland #History

Ernie O’Malley Captured in Kilkenny 1920

December 9, 2019 theirishatwar

#OnThisDay 1920 Ernie O’Malley was captured by British forces in Inistioge, Kilkenny. On him was a notebook with the names of all members of the West Kilkenny IRA Brigade who were later arrested. O’Malley gave a fake name throughout being tortured and interrogated by Auxiliaries in Dublin Castle.

#Ireland #History

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Four Prominent IRA Prisoners executed in Revenge for killing of TD Sean Hales Irish Civil War 1922

December 8, 2019 theirishatwar

#Onthisday 1922 Four Republican prisoners were executed in Mountjoy Jail in response to the shooting of Pro-Treaty TD Sean Hales. Each prisoner represents the four Irish provinces. The four men were: Dick Barrett, Joe McKelvey, Liam Mellows & Rory O’Connor.

#Ireland #History

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Rory O’Connor from Dublin. O’Connor had served as an intelligence officer during the Easter Rising, Director of Engineering for the IRA & took over the Four Courts in 1922. He was best man at his close friend Kevin O’Higgins’s wedding, who then signed O’Connor’s execution order.

Liam Mellows, who represented Connacht after his role in organising the Easter Rising in Galway. He was Director of Supplies for the IRA & was elected as a TD to the first Dáil. While in jail, Mellows outlined a 10 point programme about how he thought the country should be run.

Richard Barrett from Cork. A teacher by trade, Barrett was a very active IRA staff officer & was appointed West Cork 3rd Brigade Quartermaster in 1920. He was captured after the Four Courts had been shelled. He wrote a last letter to his family describing his last few hours.

Joe McKelvey from Tyrone. McKelvey was commander of the Belfast Brigade during the War of Independence & later of the the Third Northern Division. In June 1922, McKelvey briefly became IRA Chief of Staff, days before he was captured after the shelling of the Four Courts.

First Medal of Honor Recipient in WW2 was John W. Finn for actions at Pearl Harbor 1941

December 8, 2019 theirishatwar

#Onthisday 1941 US base Pearl Harbour was attacked by Japan. John W. Finn was awarded the first Medal of Honor of WW2 for firing a machine gun from an exposed position throughout the attack, despite being severely wounded. Finn’s grandparents were from Galway.

#Ireland #History