Ambush at Tureengarriff (or Toureengarriv)
Introduction from Chronology
The Flying Column of the 5th (Newmarket) Battalion, Cork No. 2 Brigade IRA, under Sean Moylan, with assistance from some East Kerry Volunteers ambush seven RIC men travelling in two cars at Tureengarriff (or Toureengarriv), Co Kerry (2 miles west of Ballydesmond) resulting in the death of two RIC men including RIC Divisional Commander Philip Holmes.
More
Detail
The
two RIC men killed were Constable Thomas Moyles (who died at the scene of the
ambush) and Divisional Commissioner for Munster Philip Holmes (who had replaced
Divisional Commissioner Smyth – see Jul-17-20/1). He was badly wounded in the ambush and died
the following day. Four other RIC men were injured (Sgt Arthur Charman
and Constables John H Andrews, James Hoare, Francis Callery and Francis D
Calder).
There
were about twenty men in the ambush party armed with five rifles and a light
Hotchkiss machine gun - the rest had shotguns or revolvers. Among
the IRA men who took part were Bill Moylan (Newmarket), Sean Healy (Kilcorney); Denis Galvin (Clonbannin);
Dan Vaughan (Ballydesmond); Danny Guiney (Knocknanaugh, Kiskeam). The
ambush lasted some thirty minutes and the RIC surrendered after running out of
ammunition
The
IRA got six rifles and a number of other arms - as well as one of the
cars. According to
Abbott and O’Halpin & Ó Corráin, Sean Moylan prevented his men from abusing
prisoners saying to them “If you shoot them, I will shoot you”.
A private car was used to bring three of the more wounded RIC men to
Castleisland for medical treatment.
It
is believed that D/C Holmes was returning from Listowel
where he had been investigating the killing of DI O'Sullivan - see Jan-20-21/2. The
evidence he collected was captured by the IRA. This resulted in the death of
James Kane - see Jun-11-21/6.
In
the days after the ambush, there were reprisals by Crown Forces on the villages
of Ballydesmond and Kingwilliamstown
in which houses were bombed and burnt.
According to Lynch “On the Sunday following the ambush, lorries
with crown forces swooped down on Knocknagree. They opened fire with machine guns on
some youths who were playing football in a field. A boy called Kelliher was killed and two
others were wounded. This dastardly act was undoubtedly intended as a reprisal
for Tureengarriffe.” For more on Kelliher or Kelleher –
See Feb-06-21/7.
Hopkinson gives the date of the
ambush as February 28th but the other sources give January 28th. Hopkinson also
names the D/C who died as a result of the ambush as Hoban.