The Killing of Constable Carter
Introduction
from Chronology
An RIC patrol is ambushed on the
Main Street in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal resulting in the wounding of Sgt
Charles Maguire and the death of Constable Albert Carter. At the same
time, the RIC Barracks on the Lower Main St was attacked. This attack was led
by Hugh McGrath and Anthony Dawson.
Reprisals follow but are muted.
More
Detail
According
to Ó Duibhir, after the big round-up in west Donegal – (see May-16-21/10), Peadar
O’Donnell (O/C Donegal No. 2 Brigade IRA who may have been suspended by
Frank Carney, O/C 1st Northern Division, before the latter’s
capture) sent instructions to Anthony Dawson (Adj, Letterkenny Company) to
carry out an attack on Crown Forces in the town. He contacted Hugh McGrath (Captain,
Letterkenny Company) and they set about organising the attack.
There
is a report of this attack in the Brigade Activity Report for the Donegal
Number 2 Brigade in the Military Service Pension Collection available from
Military Archives Ireland at http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/docs/files//PDF_Membership/7/A41%202%20Brigade%201%20Northern%20Division.pdf
The
short report says that the IRA were broken up into two sections. The first section consisted of Hugh
McGrath, Connell Bradley, Hugh Sweeney, Hugh McGrenaghan and Willie
McLaughlin. The second section
consisted of Antony Dawson, Mick Dawson, Patrick McMonagle and Richard Doherty. Hugh McGrath was in charge of the operation
and the first section while Antony Dawson was in charge of the second section.
(There is a detailed map of the Main St of Letterkenny in the report giving the
locations of the two sections and RIC patrol.)
One
section attacked the RIC patrol while the other section attacked the RIC
Barracks (Barracks No. 1) on the
Lower Main St. (There was a second barracks – Barracks No. 2 – at
the junction of the Upper Main St and the Port Road.)
After
the attack, the reprisals started and lasted for several hours. Two civilians – Anthony Coyle and
Simon Doherty – were wounded by the RIC and McCarry’s Hotel was
attacked, including having a bomb thrown into it. A threat by the RIC to burn down the
houses of people of Sinn F
in sympathies was
prevented by RIC District Inspector Patrick Walsh (who may have been working
with Michael Collins.) Ozseker says
that this attack in Letterkenny contravened an agreement with DI Walsh that the
town would be trouble free but he does not reference a source that this
agreement was in place.
The
only IRA man to give an account of this attack in a BMH statement is Anthony
Dawson – see http://www.militaryarchives.ie/collections/online-collections/bureau-of-military-history-1913-1921/reels/bmh/BMH.WS1546.pdf - he
claims that “This action had the desired effect by drawing off the
British Forces from West Donegal. The British forces then concentrated in the
Letterkenny district, in the belief that the Column had moved in there.”
(pg 7).