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#OnThisDay 1938 Tom Crean passed away. He joined the Royal Navy at 15 & volunteered for his first Antarctic exploration in 1901. Crean raced with Scott to reach the South Pole & was on Shackleton’s ship which sank & saw him sail 800 miles to organise a rescue.

#OnThisDay 1922 The IRA blew up part of the exterior wall of Dundalk Jail into the exercise yard & freed over a hundred prisoners including future Chief of Staff of the IRA, Minister of Defence & Tánaiste Frank Aiken. He had only been in jail for 10 days.

#OnThisDay 1914 From Childers’ personal yacht ‘Asgard’, Erskine & Molly Childers, Mary Spring-Rice & others land 900 Mauser rifles at what is now known as the Howth Gun Running. These guns were distributed among the Irish Volunteers & used in the Easter Rising.

#OnThisDay 1918 Edward “Mick” Mannock VC, was shot down by AA fire & died. Mick (who was most likely born in Cork while his father, a corporal in the Royal Scots Regiment was stationed there in 1887) was one of the highest scoring pilots in the RFC/RAF during WW1 with 61 confirmed kills. For his role in #WW1, he was posthumously award the Victory Cross.

#OnThisDay 1920 RIC Detective Sergeant William Mulherin (not in pic) was shot at Patrick’s Church in Bandon, Cork. Mulherin was the chief intelligence officer for the area & his intel had many IRA Volunteers arrested. Collins was outraged that he was shot at Mass.