#OnThisDay 1961 Comdt Pat Quinlan & 155 men of A Coy 35th Bn were attacked at Jadotville, Congo by 3000 Katangan enemy troops led by European mercenaries. As UN peacekeepers they held out for five days against until ammo & water ran out despite an attempt for resupply. They did not suffer a single casualty.
#OnThisDay 1847 30 Irish men from the San Patricios regiment were hanged by the US Army during the Battle of Chapultepec, in full view of their allies. These men had deserted the US Army on religious grounds to aid Mexico in their struggle. These unfortunate group of men were captured at the previous battle of Churubusco. They were hanged the moment the Mexican flag was lowered and the American flag was raised above the capital.
#OnThisDay 1922 Anti-Treaty forces under Michael Kilroy launch a surprise attack on Free State troops during a prayer service in Ballina, Mayo. Kilroy’s men capture 100 rifles, 20,000 rounds of ammunition & loot £25,000 worth of goods from local shops. Kilroy will later admit drunkenness was the cause of the looting. Two civilians were killed in the fight, one being a teenage girl Constance (Connie) Tynan from Tullamore who was visiting her aunt on Bridge Street. Malachy Geraghty was the other deceased, shot through the mouth as he looked for cover. A young boy’s sheepdog was also hit from stray bullets fired by the IRA’s Ballinalee armoured car.
#Ireland #History
The Irish at War 