The Clonfin Ambush
Introduction from Chronology
The Flying Column of the North Longford Brigade of the IRA, under
Sean MacEoin, ambush two lorries containing 17
Auxiliaries at Clonfin
(between Granard and Ballinalee). After a prolonged
engagement, the Auxiliaries are forced to surrender. Four Auxiliaries are
killed.
More
Detail
The four Auxiliaries killed were Lieutenant Commander Francis
Worthington-Craven, Cadet George Bush, Cadet Harold Clayton and Cadet John
Houghton. Eight others are wounded. (Houghton and Craven died at the scene of
the ambush. Clayton and Bush died
later.)
MacEoin had placed his
men in three sections along the road – Section 1 under M. F. Reynolds;
Section 2 under Sean Duffy and Section 3 under Hugh Hourican. Paddy Callaghan constructed a mine which
he detonated as the first Crossley passed the ambush site, knocking out its
engine. Among the IRA men who
took part were Mick Mulligan who suggested Clonfin as
the ambush site. The IRA carried
away 18 rifles, 20 revolvers, a Lewis machine gun and a substantial amount of
ammunition.
After the Auxiliaries surrendered, MacEoin
allowed the wounded to get medical treatment and prevented his men from
ill-treating the prisoners. He allowed so much time that the column was almost
caught by reinforcements arriving from Longford. (The action of MacEoin in preventing killing of prisoners is noted in the
official history of the 5th Division of the BA in Ireland as
“noticeable and unusual”.)
In retaliation, a number of houses and farms in the area were
burned. Also, an elderly farmer, Michael Farrell, was shot dead in a reprisal
for the ambush – see Feb-03-21/7.
Crown Forces carry out the first of their ‘drives’ in
the wake of this ambush. A combined
force of BA and Auxiliaries close off an area around Corn Hill and detain all
males in the area bringing them to “collecting posts”. Of the 100 men detained, six are
arrested.