The Bandon Valley Massacre

Introduction from Chronology

In the early hours of April 26th and the following nights, thirteen Protestants are killed in the Dunmanway-Clonakilty-Bandon area of west Cork.  This became known as the Bandon Valley Massacre.  These killings became highly controversial.  They resulted in many Protestants leaving Cork City and County.

More Detail

In the early hours of April 26th, IRA men from the Bandon Battalion (including Michael O'Neill, Acting O/C, his brother Stephen O'Neill and Charles O'Donoghue) broke into the house of Thomas Hornibrook at Ballygorman (about half-way between Cork and Bandon).  Michael O'Neill was shot dead.  The IRA left but returned with re-enforcements and laid siege to the house.  Three of the Hornibrook family (Thomas, his son Samuel and his son-in-law Capt Herbert Woods) surrendered - they were taken away and shot dead.

In the late hours of April 26th and the early hours of April 27th, David Gray, Francis Fitzmaurice and James Buttimer were shot dead in the doorways of their homes on the Main St. in Dunmanway and a number of other Protestants in Dunmanway were attacked. 

Next evening, two men (Robert Howe and John Chinnery) were shot dead at their farms in Ballaghanure, east of Dunmanway.  In the nearby village of Ballineen, a 16 year-old, Alexander McKinley was shot dead.  In the nearby Murragh rectory, the son of the rector (Robert Harbord who was himself a curate) was shot in the legs but survived.    In a house in Caher (to the west of Ballineen) John Buttimer and Jim Greenfield were shot dead.  Ten miles away, Robert Nagle was shot in his home in MacCurtain Hill in Clonakilty.  Other houses in Clonakilty were raided. 

The following night (April 28th), John Bradfield was shot dead in his home in Killowen, east of Murragh and other Protestant homes raided. 

Hughes quotes Alice Hodder, writing to her mother, saying that “For two weeks afterwards there wasn’t standing room on any of the boats or mail trains leaving Cork for England.  All loyalist refugees who were either fleeing in terror or had been ordered out of the country.”

These killings have been the subject of an on-going controversy.  Much has been written about the Bandon Valley Massacre.  However, with the exception of the killings of the Thomas and Samuel Hornibrook and Herbert Woods, there would seem to be little agreement on who carried out these killings and what was their motivation.  One possible explanation is that they were revenge killings by a number of different battalions of the 3rd Cork Brigade of the IRA for the killing of the Michael O’Neill.  However, many questions remain around who was targeted and why. 

One of the most detailed expositions on the Bandon Valley Massacre is Barry Keane’s Massacre in West Cork – The Dunmanway and Ballygroman Killings published in 2014.  There is also an excellent documentary on this massacre made by Jerry O’Callaghan called Maru in Iarthar Chorcai: Cogadh Saoirse no Cogadh Seicteach which was screened on TG4 in December 2022. 

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