Douglas Road Councillor Kieran McCarthy has been blogging about the centenary of the War of Independence in Cork in 1920. His website at www.corkheritage.ie contains links to his newspaper articles and pictures. Kieran’s work attempts to provide context to this pivotal moment in Cork’s history. The centenary of Terence MacSwiney’s death after his 74-day is fast approaching on 25 October and Terence also once lived at Eldred Terrace on Douglas Road with his wife Muriel. Kieran notes: “Terence is truly a colossus in Cork history who has attracted many historians, enthusiasts and champions to tell his story. His story is peppered with several aspects – amongst those that shine out are his love of his family, city, country, language comradeship, and hope – all mixed with pure tragedy. In many ways, the end of his 74 day hunger strike changed the future public and collective memory narrative of Cork history forever”.
Continuing Kieran details: “The blog pieces also explore Cork in 1920 and how the cityscape was rapidly becoming a war zone. Risky manoeuvres by the IRA created even riskier manoeuvres as ultimately the IRA took the war to the RIC and Black and Tans. Reading through local newspapers each day for 1920 shows the boiling frustration between all sides of the growing conflict. Tit-for-tat violence became common place”.
Earlier this Kieran released a new book Witness to Murder, The Inquest of Tomás MacCurtain with John O’Mahony. The last time Tomás’s inquest in full was published was in the Cork Examiner between 23 March 1920 and 18 April 1920. Despite the ordeal and daily fallout from the interviews, over time the fourteen hearing sessions have not overly been revisited by scholars of the Irish War of Independence. The verdict has been highlighted on many occasions by many historians, but the information of the inquest has never been overly written about or the narratives within it explored.
15 October 2020, “Kieran McCarthy, Independent Cork City Councillor and Local Historian discusses plans for the tallest building in Ireland to be built in Cork City, and what it means for the redevelopment of the country’s second city”, Plans for Ireland’s Tallest Building Receive Permission, Morning Ireland, RTE Radio 1, https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/21850843
The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy) The Marina, Cork, 11 October 2020 (picture: Cllr Kieran McCarthy)
1069a. Old Cork City Hall, c.1920 (source: Cork City Through Time by Kieran McCarthy & Dan Breen).
Reprisals by the Black and Tans for
the Barrack Street Ambush on Friday 8 October and for the connected death of
Private John Gordon Squibbs were quick. The stakes were heightened again when
that Friday night City Hall (old) was targeted by the Tans for an arson attack.
Even though it was not fully successive, much damage was caused. The attack commenced about
3.45am, when a volley of shots was fired evidently from rifles at the building.
The witness to the attack was the building’s night watchman who described to
the Cork Examiner how the events unfolded.
The firing ceased after a few minutes,
and all was again quiet for some ten minutes or so, when there was a renewed
outburst of rifle firing. While the second volleys were being fired the night
watchman heard two loud bomb explosions. He went into the vestibule of the City
Hall and saw that the western portion of the building was in flames. He
had already telephoned the city’s Fire Brigade when he had heard shots, and now
when he saw the conflagration in the Public Health Offices he again communicated
to the brigade.
The fire brigade, under Captain Alfred
Hutson, were not slow to arrive. Lines of hose were speedily laid, and water
was soon poured into the Public Health and Waterworks offices. The flames at
first spread with alarming rapidity, and at one time it looked as if that
portion of the Hall would be completely burnt out. The strenuous efforts of the
members of the fire brigade, however, soon brought it under control. After several
hours, the flames were overcome, and the fires subdued. Two men were left in charge
for the remainder of the morning.
The destruction of the offices of Public
Health and the Waterworks, and the adjoining offices was very considerable.
Document, records, and other literature relating to municipal affairs were all were
destroyed. The windows in this portion of the building, looking out on the
river, were all smashed, and it was obvious that the bombs, which exploded in the
building were hurled through these windows. In the interior of the building
there is ample evidence of the destruction wrought by the bomb explosions. In
the Public Health Department, picture frames and other accessories were smashed
to pieces by the force of the explosion, as was also the fender of the fireplace.
A bomb, which exploded in the eastern portion of the building, also caused
considerable damage.
At this side of City Hall were
situated the lamplighter and watchman’s shed and further back was a yard in
which wheelbarrows, spades, and similar implements were kept. The bomb appeared
to have exploded in the centre of the yard, and the ground was all torn up, with
one of the wheelbarrows badly damaged. The rifle firing seemed to have occurred
at the other side of the building for the walls and ceilings around the Public
Health and Waterworks Office’s bore several bullet marks.
Immediately overhead, the City Engineer’s
department narrowly escaped destruction both from the conflagration and the bombs
which were hurled up at the windows. One bomb, indeed, entered, and exploded in
a corner near a safe, blowing portion of a floor away.
Later on that weekend, on Sunday 10
October 1920 large parties of RIC, working in conjunction with the Black and
Tans, carried out a very unexpected raid in Cork City Centre. The streets were,
as usual on Sunday afternoon, thronged at the time, and the sudden swoop
created much alarm and panic. About 2.40pm the police and the Black and Tans took
possession of MacCurtain Street, Coburg Street, Bridge Street, St Patrick’s
Bridge, St Patrick’s Street, the Grand Parade, and other thoroughfares in the
centre of the city. The lorries in which the military arrived were escorted by
armoured cars. Cordons were drawn across the streets at several points and the
large numbers of people on the streets at the time found themselves surrounded military or
police pickets.
As the civilians were ordered to halt,
they were obliged to submit to be searched. Even those outside the cordons, but
in the immediate vicinity, were not exempt from the searches. For the most partthe people quietly allowed themselves to be searched, after which they were
permitted to go outside the cordons, and wherever they wished.In this
manner hundreds of civilians were searched.
In some cases, the military commands
to halt were not obeyed, and one man, who it is stated, did not halt when
called upon to do so, was shot. His name is given was Michael Griffin, a
labourer, aged about 60 years residing in Cattle Market Street, Cork. It
appears that he was passing through Merchant street at the time, and was called
upon to “halt”, but either did not hear or refused to obey the challenge. The
Black and Tans opened fire and he was struck by a bullet. The wounded man
collapsed and was unable to move The Corporation ambulance was sent for and was
quickly on the scene. He was conveyed to the South Infirmary but in the hours
that followed he died. The military parties withdrew from the streets about
3.45pm, having made one arrest. Such policing manoeuvres only increased as
October and November 1920 progressed.
More next week…
This
week’s column marks the 21st year mark of Our City, Our Town
(started in early October 1999). Thanks to everyone for their support along the
journey.
My new book Witness to Murder, The Inquest of Tomás MacCurtain is
now available to purchase online (co-authored with John O’Mahony 2020, Irish
Examiner/www.examiner.ie).
Captions:
1069a. Old Cork City
Hall, c.1920 (source: Cork City Through Time by Kieran McCarthy &
Dan Breen).
Independent Cllr Kieran McCarthy has welcomed Cork City Council’s launch of a new initiative that aims to promote social distancing and help protect vulnerable members of the community from Covid-19.
One thousand social distancing blue vests have been distributed across Cork City through various community centres and community groups. The blue vests will allow people with an underlying condition or who had been cocooning to get out and about, while reminding others to respect social distancing guidelines.
Cllr McCarthy notes: “The idea came about through the Covid-19 Community Response Forum in Mahon, just one of the 16 community response groups set up by Cork City Council with the HSE and partners in response to the Covid-19 restrictions. Feedback received from people cocooning as they came back out into communities when restrictions eased indicated that that they were very nervous and felt that people weren’t giving them enough space. The purpose of the vests is to indicate clearly that the person is asking others to keep their two-metre distance”.
Following a pilot of the initiative in Knocknaheeny and Mahon, the blue vests are now available through local community centres and a further 250 blue vests will also be distributed through the Friendly Call programme.
Family members of people who are still cocooning will also find the vests very useful in terms of indicating to others that they need to keep their distance in order to decrease the risk of bringing Covid-19 back into the family home. If interested please contact Cork City Council on community@corkcity.ie. Please note that the vests are available on a first-come first-served basis.
1068a. Cove Street and Barrack Street junction, 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 1 October 2020
Remembering 1920: The Barrack Street Ambush
As the War of Independence intensified, the tit-for-tat
violence continued in late September and into October 1920. Engineer Officer of
the 2nd Battalion, Cork No.1 Brigade Michael O’Donoghue in his
witness statement (WS1741) in the Bureau of Military History records he was
twenty years of age running the intelligence, engineering and the signals and communications
services. A Special Services unit was also organised and trained in Cork City.
A small group of the latter group were trained in machine gun use and
assembling. These skills were put to full use during the autumn of 1920.
At the end of September 1920, an attempt was made by men
of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of Brigade No.1 to assassinate
the British General Peter Strickland who, at the time, had his quarters in Cork
Barracks, Cork. Occasionally at irregular tames, Strickland left the barracks
in a motor car accompanied by an armed escort.
Michael Murphy, who was Commandant of the 2nd
Battalion in his witness statement (WS1547) notes that in late September 1920,
he and others watched for his arrival. Every day, different Volunteers took up
duty at various street corners in the vicinity of the barracks. All were armed
with revolvers and some with grenades. On 25 September 1920, Strickland’s car
appeared, travelling at a fast pace along King Street. Volunteers were taken
somewhat by surprise but opened fire on him and his escort with revolvers and
grenades. However, the attack was not a success. The convoy got through safely
with Strickland.
On the night of 7 October 1920, Michael recalls a further
ambush scenario on Barrack Street. He happened to be in the shop owned by sisters
Nora and Sheila Wallace in Cork’s St Augustine Street. This shop was used as a
clearing house for IRA dispatches and was a regular meeting place for IRA men
generally. The Wallace sisters were active Cumann na mBan figures and were well
respected in their collaboration with the brigade officers.
On the night in question whilst in Wallace’s with Seán
Hegarty, Brigade Officer in Charge, an IRA member came into the shop. He was a
civilian employee in the military barracks, Cork, where he worked as a clerk in
the British Military Intelligence office. On many occasions he had passed on
information of very great value. He told those present that a lorry of armed
soldiers would be leaving Cork barracks the following morning about 9am and
would proceed across the city to Elizabeth Fort, off Barrack Street. Michael Murphy
discussed the possibility of attacking the lorry with Seán Hegarty and it was
agreed that Michael himself should undertake the job on the following morning, 8
October 1920. That night, after curfew, Michael contacted about 20 men from his
battalion area and told them to be at the Thomas Ashe Hall, Father Mathew Quay,
the following morning about 8am. They were to come armed with revolvers and
grenades.
On the morning of 8 October Michael met the men in the
Hall as arranged and explained his proposed attack strategy on the military
lorry. It was his intention to attack the military lorry himself along with
Tadhg Sullivan, one of his company captains. They were to engage them with
grenades and revolvers. The remainder of the party were then dispersed to
positions covering the British military garrison at Elizabeth Fort and the
police barracks at Tuckey Street and Union Quay. All of these posts were within
a couple of hundred yards radius of the point in Barrack Street where the
proposed attack was to take place.
Michael and Tadhg took up position at a corner on the
junction of Barrack Street and Cove Street where there was a steep incline.
They knew the lorry would have to slow down to get in gear when it reached that
point. At about a quarter to nine the lorry came into view. As expected, the
lorry slowed down, and Michael saw that it contained three soldiers in the
driver’s cab and eight to ten inside in the open lorry section. He threw the
first grenade, which hopped off the side of the lorry and exploded wounding Tadhg
and himself but not seriously. Tadgh and Michael then hurled grenades into the
cab killing one of the private officers. The third grenade got into the back of
the lorry causing casualties amongst the soldiers there.
The lorry continued on up the hill and was met by a
volley from revolver-men stationed further up the road. Those soldiers who were
not wounded now jumped out of the lorry and took refuge in nearby houses. The ambush
lasted about fifteen minutes when Michael ordered the lads to break off the
attack due to a lack of ammunition and they scampered.
William Barry, Captain of D Company of the 2nd
Battalion in his witness statement (WS1708), notes that the Barrack Street action
was a short one by reason of the fact that military and police garrisons were
within a couple of hundred yards of us and were stationed at Elizabeth Fort,
Tuckey Street RIC Barracks and Union Quay RIC barracks. He further notes that
that his side suffered no casualties on that occasion and records that the arms
and ammunition used by them on this occasion were kept in a large box in
Hosford’s Bakery, South Terrace, Cork, where Commandant Michael Murphy and
himself were engaged building the premises.
Kieran’s new book Witness to Murder, The Inquest of Tomás MacCurtain
is now available to purchase online (co-authored with John O’Mahony 2020, Irish
Examiner/www.examiner.ie).
Captions:
1068a. Cove Street
and Barrack Street junction, 2020 (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
1068b. Present day interior of Elizabeth Fort
– former site of RIC Barracks 1920 (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
068b. Present day interior of Elizabeth Fort – former site of RIC Barracks 1920 (picture: Kieran McCarthy).
