#OnThisDay 1922 Roughly 100 Free State Army & AT-IRA joined together and attacked a truck belonging to the Ulster Special Constabulary in Pettigo, Donegal. The ensuing guns fight lasts for several hours. The IRA killed one Constable. An even bigger gun fight would follow in a few days supported with artillery and armoured cars.
#OnThisDay 1920 The IRA attacked & burned Kilmallock RIC barracks. They killed two men: Kane & Morton but Volunteer Liam Scully was shot in the neck & died soon after. Despite the blaze, the RIC refused to surrender the barracks. They had moved into a small room off the main building where they were somewhat safer. IRA accounts report hearing all the ammo in the building exploding once it caught fire. Some accounts say that the RIC performed a bayonet charge to scatter the IRA, others say that the IRA withdrew when their ammo ran dry.
Below are the RIC survivors.
#OnThisDay 1892 Margaret Skinnider was born in Scotland to Irish parents. A maths teacher by trade, Margaret, who as gay (not that that means anything, it’d just interesting to highlight. In fact as Dr McAuliffe and I discussed, there could be a whole gay history about the Easter Rising given the numbers of gay prominent figures), served as a sniper in the Easter Rising in 1916, safe house operator and gun smuggler in the War of Independence and Paymaster General for AT-IRA & more. Listen to @MaryMcAuliffe4 talk about her here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/margaret-skinnider-female-combatants-in-irish-revolutionary/id1365677620?i=1000472656366
#OnThisDay 1798 United Irishmen take the loyalist town of Enniscorthy, Wexford driving the 300+ strong garrison back to Wexford town. Rebels lose roughly 500, the British forces about 100. Many residents flee also as hundreds of houses are set alight during the attack. Enniscorthy provides a base camp for Vinegar Hill.
#OnThisDay 1864 At the Battle of Pickett’s Mill, Cork born Major General Patrick Cleburne outnumbered army (10,000) defeats Maj. Gen. Oliver Howard’s IV Corps of roughly 14,000 men. The battle started late (5pm) & continued into the night. By day break, Cleburne’s men still held the field.
The Irish at War 