The release from prison of a man convicted to taking part in cattle drive was enthusiastically welcomed in Queen’s County (Laois) in February 1920. Anthony Monohan of Cappagh, near Borris-in –Ossory was welcomed home by a large crowd who gathered at Ballybrophy train station having served two months in jail for driving cattle off the lands of Thomas Colcough near Borris-in-Ossory. Met by the Knocknaree Pipers Band and the Borris-in-Ossory Fife and Drum Band, Monahan was paraded through the streets, feted as a local hero.

During his term of imprisonment, Colcough had surrendered the lands on which the cattle drive had taken place, such was the level of animosity towards him and the growing agitation amongst small holders and landless people. In the coming months a number of other estates would be divided up following agitation. There were similar scenes in county Meath when cattle drivers were released from prison including at Navan where the ‘Back to the Land Association’ welcomed prisoners home ‘amid much cheering and singing’. In Navan the tone of the speeches delivered reflected the view that the association was determined to secure land for people in the future. The speeches at Navan also came a number of days after land was targeted by cattle drivers and where a grave and wooden cross were placed on the land, suggesting the outcome for the owner if he did not comply with the agitators.

Download Source: Nationalist & Leinster times, 28 Feb 1920, page 5; see also Drogheda Independent, 21 Feb 1920; page 4.

By 1920 the GAA had become the most prominent sporting organisation across the country and was closely aligned to the political aspirations of Irish nationalists.

Despite the ongoing troubles in Ireland (and the inclement weather) the GAA continued to organise games during the month of February. The GAA in county Tipperary was said to have delighted when martial law was postponed in February allowing them to organise games and dances in several county towns. Huge crowds attended a gold medal tournament at the Cork Athletic Grounds and in Croke Park where reigning all Ireland champions Kildare took on Wexford. Other matches including Dublin and Kilkenny in a senior hurling challenge were orgainsed for the Motor Strikers Fund in Dublin. The continued motor strike threatened the playing of a match between Cavan and Meath in Oldcastle, but the Cavan county board suggested the novel idea of the players travelling by rail on the previous day and staying overnight to allow the came to be played. In a debate which has resonance with Ireland and the GAA in 2020, the annual convention of the Kerry County Board considered the debt which the board had accrued most of which stemmed from the preparation of the county team. Costing £115 to prepare the Kerry senior team one newspaper reported that ‘it takes some money to train a team for all Ireland honours’. At the same meeting, Austin Stack was unanimously elected as the chairman of the county board underlining the connections between politics and the GAA during this period.

 Download Source: The Liberator (Tralee), 17 Feb 1920, page 3 &  Download Source: The Cork Examiner 19 Feb 1920, page 7;

IRA Target Railway Lines - February 1920

As the War of independence progressed, attacks on railway lines and their staff increased as the IRA attempted to prevent the movement of the RIC and the military. Trains that were carrying weapons were also attacked as at Drumcondra, county Dublin in February 1920 (see earlier post this month). In county Donegal, the railway at Burtonport and trains traveling on the line came under attack on a number of occasions in 1920. During one attack in February, big stones were placed on the line forcing the drivers' engine off the track but the carriage remained on the line. Reports from the incident described the danger which railway workers faced and it was luck that there was no loss of life.

Later that month as the train was due at the village of Kincasslagh in Donegal fifteen masked men held up the station master, cut the wires and smashed equipment in his cabin. With the station master held at gunpoint, the train was then ransacked but the IRA retreated without finding any weapons or ammunition on-board. Later in 1920, the Burtonport train was again targeted by the IRA when coming from Derry, the train was held up at a place called Crolly by armed men. Two men were wounded by a shotgun during the raid, while the driver was told to take the train to a ‘lonely spot’ where it was searched, again in vain, for ammunition.

Download Source: Freemans Journal, 20 February 1920, page 3.

IRA Attack Camp RIC Barracks Co. Kerry 19.February.1920

The attack on Camp RIC barracks in County Kerry by the IRA caused a sensation locally and indicated the first withdrawal of the constabulary from the countryside. Carried out using rifles, revolvers, hand grenades and crowbars the IRA were intent not just on seizing weapons but on destroying the barracks.

Sergeant McDonagh and six police officers were present in the barracks and replied with rifle fire and grenades. Lasting over an hour the IRA succeeded in blowing a hole in the gable wall of the barracks and called on the RIC to surrender. McDonagh, who had been shot through the cheek ordered that no surrender would be made and returned fire immediately. The IRA then retreated and left guns and crowbars behind them. The police investigating the scene in the aftermath of the attack found two revolvers, one with a bullet mark, suggesting the holder of the gun had been hit. At least three IRA men were injured in the attack. As with all of the attacks on RIC barracks which had taken place to date in Ireland, the roads were torn up, trees were cut and blocked the road, while all methods of communication had been cut. In the days that followed a number of houses in Tralee were searched and indeed in early March raids were still being carried out in connection with the attack. A few days after the attack the police decided to abandon the building, took away all of their possessions and set fire to the shell of the barracks.

Download Source: Kerryman, 21 February 1920, page 3.

Kerryman 1904-current, Saturday, February 21, 1920

Murder of Ellen Morris - Fiendish Outrage

A ‘fiendish outrage’ was how the Belfast Newsletter described the murder of Ellen Morris in county Wexford in February 1920.

Aged 60 and a native of Glentine, Ballagh near Enniscorthy. Six masked men stormed the Morris house and when Morris took a spade to force the raiders out and one of the attackers pointed a revolver at her and shot her through the heart. A person in the house looked to go to get a priest but the raiders told them ‘no priest’ and that they were not to leave the house for two hours. The raid had been carried out on the house for arms and it was known locally that Morris had a son who was in the Royal Army Service Corps. The murder of Ellen Morris was met with revulsion locally in county Wexford and beyond. Members of the Ballagh Ancient Order of Hibernians, a nationalist fraternal organisation, provided a guard of honour at the funeral, which took place at Oulart, near Enniscorthy. Later in 1920, at the Wexford Assizes thirteen men were brought for trial and a man called John Lacy admitted firing the shot but pleaded that it was not intentional. While the case was being prepared for the assizes a number of statements were given to a police officer but he was later shot before the trial. Huge crowds were present at the trial and the prisoners were brought from Dublin to Rosslare by boat and under a heavily armed guard. Lacy, only eighteen years old, it was claimed panicked during the raid but was found guilty of murder.

Download Source: Belfast Newsletter, 16 February 1920, page 5; See also Freeman’s Journal, 18 February 1920, page 4.

Throughout the month of February 1920, a number of outrages were committed across the country, the motives for which were not always clear.

At Ballylongford, county Kerry a young man named Heaphy was shot through the shoulder as he left his house, the shot alleged to have been fired by a policeman. The injured man was removed to hospital in Limerick and said to have been in a precarious condition. In the same week, a soldier in Ballyshannon, county Donegal fired several rounds of his weapon in the air before being overpowered by other soldiers who took the gun from him. In county Westmeath, at a place called Tubber, a shot was fired through the window of a house, narrowly missing the occupant. Land was said to have been the issue in this incident. In Limerick City a man named James Dalton, who was employed in the Limerick Gas Works was fired at, as he made his way home from work. Four revolver shots were fired, one of which hit Dalton in the hand, fracturing a finger. Two men were observed in a lane way after the incident but made their escape, although one it was claimed had been identified. Dalton took an active part in the election of Eamon de Valera in East Clare and Count Plunkett in Roscommon. According to Dalton he had dismissed rumours concerning him in the Sinn Fein movement, but he had declined to bring slander charges. In light of the number of outrages across the country, it was little wonder that the Irish bishops in their Lenten Pastorals delivered the same week, called on people to desist from joining secret societies or carrying out these outrages.

Download Source: Freemans Journal, 16 February 1920; Page: 3; See also Limerick Leader, 16 February 1920, page 3.

RIC Ballytrain Barracks Fierce Fighting - 14.February.1920

After a month of intense IRA activity across the country, the War of Independence continued unabated in February 1920. Becoming more daring in the process, the IRA continued to target the RIC and their barracks. Elsewhere, local issues and tensions would also surface, and in some cases, they become embroiled in the struggle for Independence. February 1920 would be a month of chaos across the country

Described by the newspapers of the day as a ‘fierce affray’ the three-hour assault on the RIC barracks at Ballytrain, county Monaghan was a significant engagement for the Monaghan IRA during the War of Independence. Launched at 2 am on a Sunday morning and led by Eoin O’Duffy, later a Commissioner of An Garda Siochana, the attack had been carefully planned.

Located eight miles from Castleblayney, the RIC barracks in Ballytrain was manned by two sergeants and four constables all of whom it was said fought against the odds for over three hours. When at 5am ‘the leader’ of the IRA party demanded the officers surrender it was met by continued firing from the police. O’Duffy then gave the order to plant explosives at the gable wall, which instantly collapsed. Four RIC officers were buried in the rubble of the building and were later transferred to Carrickmacross hospital for treatment. About fifty men then rushed the building carrying off a quantity of weapons A house belonging to a man named Mitchell was raided before the attack, where four members of the family were held hostage throughout the night. The IRA smashed all of the windows in the house allowing them to fire on the barracks. As many as 150 men took part in the raid, which also saw some men taking up position in cattle byres, which had been cleaned out in order to give protection. It was later alleged that O’Duffy had told the RIC men that he was glad no one had been killed in the exchange- ‘We did not come here to do injury, but only for arms’. It was hardly the welcome Sergeant Graham had expected having only arrived in the barracks three days before.

Download Source:  Ulster Herald, 21 February 1920, page 2. + Sligo Champion 21.February.1920

                                                                                                Ulster Herald 1901-current, Saturday, February 21, 1920 pg 2

Sligo Champion 1879-current, Saturday, February 21, 1920

The attack on a train at Drumcondra on 13 February 1920 highlighted both how daring and orgainsed IRA units had become. At 8.45pm a military train, with 47 wagons left the North Wall Railway Station bound for Athlone barracks in county Westmeath. The IRA, having received intelligence about the contents on-board the train lay in wait and looked to seize the arms, most of which were miniature rifles, which would have been ideal weapons for the guerrilla campaign, which was being waged. Taking no chances and indicating that they would be ruthless in their approach, at Newcomen Bridge the signalman Michael Geraghty was shot in his cabin as the train passed through. Another signalman, William Dunne was held up between Jones Road and Drumcondra station. About twenty IRA men took up a position at Gilford Place, while a similar number remained in the street with two motor cars. Neither car had lights or numbers and the attack was carried out under the cover of darkness. The military later confirmed that they could not see their attackers. When the train came to a halt at Drumcondra three bombs were thrown at the carriages followed by a number of revolver shots. Among the military, Lance Corporal Markely was injured from shrapnel caused by the explosion and was later taken to hospital. Two masked raiders climbed on to the train and gave orders for it to be backed up. It was unclear how many weapons, if any, had been taken by the IRA during the attack.

Download Irish Examiner 1841-current, Monday, February 16, 1920

 ‘the disgraceful nature of terrorism’

The Belfast Newsletter reported in February 1920 that lawlessness in the south of Ireland was getting out of hand and that everyday life in many counties was disturbed. The Kerry Milk case in that month reflected such sentiments or as the newspaper claimed, ‘the disgraceful nature of terrorism’. The issue was linked to the two attempts which were made on the life of Sergeant AM Sullivan in Kerry in January 1920. Sullivan, it appears, was the legal representative of Messrs Slattery and thus the business was targeted.

In the early morning, as the Ballmacelligot creamery opened for business, armed and disguised men lined up on the road opposite the creamery. Remarkably, the local RIC ‘hut’ at Gortalea was less than a quarter of a mile away but the men were not prohibited in any way. The armed men then proceeded to block all of the carts which were bringing milk to the creamery and ordered that they desist from doing so or in having any dealings with Slatterys. Entering the building the men forced workers to extinguish fires as a result of the incident a number of Farmers Vigilance Committees were formed in the North Kerry area. The boycott on Slattery’s presented a considerable strain on the local economy. A thriving business on which many local farmers depended; the incident may also have been part of a long-standing feud amongst a number of creameries in the locality.  Indeed, in 1919 trouble at the Ballymacelligot creameries was debated in the House of Commons.

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Source Belfast Newsletter 1738-1938, Thursday, February 12, 1920

Allihies Barracks Raid - Constable Neenan Shot 12.February.1920

County Cork was the scene of another attack on an RIC barracks at the village of Allihies, which led to the death of Constable Michael Neenan. Located twelve miles from Castletownbere, the people of Allihies were taken by surprise when the IRA attacked the barrack on 12 February.

Once again, every preparation was made to deny any chance of reinforcements arriving to help the stricken policemen. Between 3-4am the IRA began to drill into the gable wall of the barracks which was then blown up. Realising what was happening the RIC immediately defended their position and both parties then exchanged several rounds of fire. During the ‘fusilade’ Constable Neenan volunteered to go to the ammunition store for rifles but was shot in the abdomen and despite the best effort of surgeons who motored from Cork to try and save him, he succumbed to his injuries. Another RIC Constable, named O’Driscoll was shot in the foot during the affray, but his injuries were said to have been non-life threatening. Led by Sean Hales, the IRA battalion was said to have consisted of about twenty volunteers and maintained their position until shortly after 5am before retreating. The RIC refused to surrender but, after this attack, they destroyed the building and withdrew from village. A number of out outlying posts would also do the same in the coming weeks.

Download Source: Irish Independent 1905-current, Friday, February 13, 1920