July 1921
|
Jul |
By July, there were
3,414 ‘A’ Specials in the six counties (outnumbering the RIC); 15,902 ‘B’
Specials and 1,310 ‘C’ Specials. |
McDermott (2001),
pg 86 |
|
Early-Jul |
Shantonagh House,
belonging to the Fitzherbert family, in Co. Monaghan is burnt down. |
Dooley (2017), pg
115 |
|
Jul-01 |
The Dáil cabinet
meets and decide to put truce terms to Llyod George in response to his
letter. See July 4th. |
|
|
Jul-01 |
The body of RIC
Constable Joseph Shelsher was found at Barnlough, outside the village of
Bansha, Co. Tipperary. He had been shot in the head. Constable Shelsher
was from London and had one year’s service in the RIC. |
Abbott (2000), pg
262; Abbott (2019), pg 333 |
|
Jul-01 |
Auxiliaries fire on
two men making hay on Murphy's farm near Rathcoole, Co. Cork and kill one of
them who is an IRA man (Bernard Moynihan). |
Lynch in The Kerryman
(1955), pg 238 |
|
Jul-02 |
An RIC patrol
investigating the destruction of property on the railway line at Oola, Co.
Limerick was attacked resulting in the death of two policemen (Sgt
Andrew Johnstone and Constable William Hill) and the wounding of five others. Constable Hill was from
Liverpool and had eight months’ service in the RIC. |
Abbott (2000), pg
262; Abbott (2019), pgs 333-334 |
|
Jul-02 |
A ten-man RIC
patrol is ambushed at Tallow, Co. Waterford by men from the Cork No. 2
Brigade IRA resulting in the death of Constable Francis Creedon. |
Abbott (2000), pg
262; McCarthy (2015), pg 86 |
|
Jul-02 |
A number of IRA men
were wounded and captured when a routine patrol of South Lancashire regiment
surprises them at they were attempting to blow up the railway bridge at
Hazelhatch, near Cellbridge, Co. Kildare.
The IRA men were from the Meath/North Kildare flying column led by
Paddy Mullaney. |
Durney (2013), pgs
205-206 |
|
Jul-02 |
J. Daly from
Tyrrellspass, Co. Westmeath dies |
O’Farrell (1997), pg 105 |
|
Jul-03 |
Two off-duty RIC
men were shot at just outside Wicklow town resulting in the death of
Constable John Fitzgerald. (According to Abbott, Fitzgerald put his
hands up and said that he was unarmed but was still shot.) |
Abbott (2000), pg
262-263 |
|
Jul-03 |
R. Cusack from Ballycotton,
Co. Cork dies. |
O’Farrell (1997),
pg 105 |
|
Jul-03 |
At all masses in
Cavan Cathedral, the congregation is asked to pray for Hugh Newman,
Lisdeegin, Clonervy, Cavan who had been killed by the IRA. |
Lawlor (2011), pg
186 |
|
Jul-03 |
After an earlier
attack on a mixed RIC and USC patrol by the IRA, Specials from Cookstown and
Dungannon raid the village of Dunamore in Co. Tyrone. They shoot one man and burn the parochial
hall and several houses. |
McCluskey (2014),
pg 101 |
|
Jul-04 |
Earl of Midleton and
some southern unionists meet de Valera in the Mansion House in Dublin and
latter says he cannot go to London to discuss peace with Craig as he
represents a part of the country of which he is President. Midleton tells Llyod George that there
must be a truce or troops withdrawn to barracks before there can be
negotiations. (Llyod George’s letter
of the 24th June did not mention a truce.) See July 5th. |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 60; Townshend (2014), pg 307 |
|
Jul-05 |
General Jan Smuts
meets de Valera in Dublin along with Griffith, Barton and Duggan. De Valera argues for republic on natural
right while Smuts argues against it on the basis of political
experience. He relates to de Valera the compromise which ended the Boer
War and relationship which had since developed between South Africa and the
British Commonwealth. Smuts says that de Valera spoke like a
visionary and “spoke continually of generations of oppression and seemed to
live in a world of dreams, visions and shadows”. De Valera opens a
Dáil session on the letter from Lloyd George. See July 6th+7th |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 60; Townshend (1975), pgs 197; Macardle (1999), pg 474; Townshend (2014),
pg 307 |
|
Jul-05 |
RIC Constable Cyril
Brewer was shot in Hospital, Co. Limerick and dies from his wounds two days
later. Constable Brewer was from the
London and had six months’ service in the RIC. |
Abbott (2000), pg
263; Abbott (2019), pg 334 |
|
Jul-05 |
Ms Teresa McAnuff
from Shinn, outside Newry, Co. Armagh is killed in her home during a raid by
a number of armed and masked men. It is suspected that this killing was
carried out by Special Constables. |
Lawlor (2011), pgs
185-186 |
|
Jul-06 |
Two RIC were
directing traffic at the corner of Union St and Little Donegall St in Belfast
when they were attacked resulting in the death of one (Constable Timothy
Galvin) and the wounding of the other (Constable Conway). |
Abbott (2000), pg
263; McDermott (2001), pg 93 |
|
Jul-06 |
Two brothers, John
and Thomas O’Reilly from near Newry, Co. Armagh, are arrested in a raid on
their home by Special Constables and taken to the McGinnity farmhouse in
Ballymacdermott. Nineteen-year-old
Peter McGinnity is also arrested and all three are taken to nearby Altnaveigh
where they are shot dead. The same
group of Special Constables are believed to have later shot dead Patrick
Quinn in his lodgings in the McQuaid house in Carnagat. |
Lawlor (2011), pgs
186-188; Hall (2019), pg 98; Harnden (2000), pg 132 |
|
Jul-06 |
A young IRA
volunteer, James McNally, is accidently killed as he examines a loaded
revolver belonging to Dan Breen during a training camp in Draperstown, Co.
Tyrone. |
Grant (2018), pg
121; O’Farrell (1997), pg 113; McCluskey (2014), pg 106 |
|
Jul-06 |
After a critical
GHQ report on the East Waterford Brigade of the IRA, the East and West
Waterford Brigades are amalgamated with Pax Whelan as O/C (and Paddy Paul as
Training Officer). |
McCarthy (2015), pg
84 |
|
July 6+7 |
Middleton meets
Lloyd George in London - Lloyd George agrees to exclusion of Craig and an
informal truce. Smuts also reports to the
British cabinet saying that “I would go a long way to humour them”. See July 8th. |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 60; Townshend (2014), pgs 307-308 |
|
Jul-07 |
The RIC barracks in
Ballinhassig, Co. Cork was attacked by the IRA and the attack was
repulsed. Afterwards the body of RIC Constable James Connor, who had
left the barracks just before the attack, was found dead at the side of the
road. Last attack on an RIC barracks
before the Truce on July 11th.
According to Townshend, between January 1st 1919 and the
Truce, 267 occupied RIC barracks were damaged during this period but only 25
destroyed. |
Abbott (2000), pg
263; Townshend (1975), pg 214 |
|
Jul-07 |
The IRA in Kilgobnet, Co. Waterford allow the
filling in of a trenched road to facilitate a funeral. When the trench is being re-opened the following
day by IRA volunteer John Quinn, a bobby-trap bomb (planted by the British
Army) exploded killing Quinn and five men helping him. The five men are Thomas Burke, Thomas
Dahill, James Dunford, William Dunford and Richard Lynch. |
McCarthy (2015), pg
84; O’Farrell (1997), pg 103 & 105 & 107 & 111 |
|
Jul-07 |
The body of a
retired RIC Sergeant (Sgt Anthony Foody) was found at Carralavin, Co. Mayo
(between Ballina and Balliconlon) with a label around his neck reading
"Revenge for Dwyer and the Ragg". Sergeant Foody had retired
from the RIC on the 19th June.
The IRA blamed Sgt
Foody for the killing of Thomas Dwyer in the Ragg, (Bouladuff), Co Tipperary
on 30th March 1920. (Like
Abbott, Price would seem to mix up the killing of Thomas Dwyer on the 30th
March 1920 and the killing of Francis and Edward Dwyer on the 18th
October 1920.) |
Abbott (2000), pg
264; Price (2012), pg 168; Abbott (2019), pgs 335-336 |
|
Jul-07 |
A group of
policemen were bathing near Doolin, Co. Clare when they were attacked
resulting in the death of one RIC man (Constable James Hewitt) and the
wounding of one other. |
Abbott (2000), pg
264; Ó Ruairc (2009), pg 331 |
|
Jul-07 |
Late at night,
members of the 3rd Battalion, Kilkenny Brigade IRA surround the
home of Florence Dreaper at Finsboro House, Coolbawn near Castlecomer. Ms Dreaper had informed the Crown Forces
about the IRA being in an ambush position of the 18th June (see
above). The IRA burnt down Finsboro
House and ordered Ms Dreaper out of
the country. |
Walsh (2018), pgs
94-94 |
|
Jul-08 |
After a day of
consultation, de Valera telegraphed Llyod George stating that he would meet
with him to discuss setting up a conference and discuss “on what basis such a
conference as that proposed can reasonably hope to achieve the object
desired” (i.e. talks about talks) |
Macardle (1999), pg
474 |
|
Jul-08 |
Macready and
Middleton meet Sinn Féin leaders (de Valera, Griffith, Barton and Duggan) in
the Mansion House in Dublin and agree truce (with imprecise terms which gives
rise to subsequent disagreements - see Townshend (2014) for what the sides
thought that they had agreed to). Midleton and Macready are cheered by
crowds filling Dawson St as they arrive at Mansion House. Truce to start at noon on July 11th.
|
Curran J M (1980),
pg 61; Townshend (1975), pgs 197; Townshend (2014), pg 308-310 |
|
Jul-08 |
RIC searches of the
Union and Stanhope St. area of Belfast turns into an hour-long gun battle
with the local IRA. Also, there was a series of post office raids by
the IRA. |
Parkinson (2004), pg 152; McDermott (2001), pgs 94-95. |
|
Jul-08 |
Three RIC men are
attacked on the Fair Green, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow resulting in the death of
one policeman (Constable Frederick Cormer). Constable
Cormer was from Middlesex in England and had six months’ service in the RIC. |
Abbott (2000), pg
264-265 |
|
Jul-08 |
Attack on a train
carrying British military by the IRA at the railway bridge at Ballyfermot in
Dublin. |
O’Connor and
Connolly (2011), pgs 58-59 |
|
Jul-08 |
An IRA unit on its
way to burn Baronscourt, near Newtonstewart, Co Tyrone is discovered by a USC
patrol. The IRA men try to escape but
are fired – one IRA man (James McSorley – an ex-British Army soldier) is shot
dead. |
Hutton (2019), pgs
28-29 |
|
Jul-08 |
The IRA raid the
Army and Navy Canteen at Ballymany, Newbridge, Co. Kildare where they hold up
the caretaker, William Dolan. They
remove some material and then sprinkle the remaining goods with paraffin
oil. Mr Dolan goes upstairs to where
he, his wife Bridget and three children live. Mr Dolan and two of his
children manage to escape but Mrs Dolan and 13-year old stepson, John perish
in the fire. |
Durney (2013), pgs
206-207 |
|
Jul-09 |
At 3.00p.m., at a
meeting in the Mansion House between Macready, Colonel J. Brind, and Andy
Cope (on the British side) and Robert Barton and Eamonn Duggan (on the Irish
side) agreement is reached that a truce will start on the 11th.
Text of truce agreement given in Macardle.
Comment |
Macardle (1999),
pgs 475-476; Price (2012), pg 169 |
|
Jul-09 |
Draper Holmes, a
platelayer with the GNR, is shot dead by the IRA. Mr Holmes was a Protestant – this could
have been a sectarian attack or he could have come across a group of IRA men
trying to remove rails from the railway line. |
Lawlor (2011), pgs
188-189; Hall (2019), pg 84 |
|
Jul-10 |
A two-man patrol
from the Lincolnshire Regiment in the village of Mulliahone, Co. Tipperary is
attacked by the IRA resulting in the death of one (Sergeant John William
Reynolds) and seriously injuring the other (Lieutenant Rowles). |
Walsh (2018), pg 96 |
|
Jul-10 |
A large unionist
owned creamery in Dunamore, Co. Tyrone (Doon’s) is burnt by the local IRA,
led by Charlie Daly, in retaliation for the burning of a number of co-op
creameries by the RIC/USC and their burning of the local Sinn Féin hall in
the village. |
Grant (2018), pg
119 |
|
Jul-10 |
In the last major
conflict of the War of Independence, four British soldiers and five IRA are
killed in a gun battle at Castlemaine, Co. Kerry. Horgan says the five
British soldiers and three IRA men are killed. IRA led by Humphrey Murphy. (IRA men
killed include T. Fleming from Castleisland and John Flynn from
Ballymacelligott.) |
Hopkinson (2002),
pg 126; O'Farrell P (1997), pg 107; Horgan (2018), pgs 190-191 |
|
Jul-10 |
An RIC man
(Constable Alfred Needham) was shot in O'Connell St, Ennis, Co. Clare and
later died of his wounds. Later two dispatch
riders from the Royal Welsh Fusiliers are crossing Bunratty Bridge from the
Limerick direction when the bridge collapses.
It had been sabotaged by IRA.
One of the riders – Private R. W. Williams – falls into the river and
is drowned. Constable
Needham was from London and had nearly seven months’ service in the RIC. |
Abbott (2000), pg
265; Ó Ruairc (2009), pg 256; Abbott (2019), pg 338 |
|
Jul-10 |
RIC Constable
Matthias Kelly commits suicide. |
Abbott (2019), pg
408 |
|
Jul-10 to 17 |
The 10th
July is known as Belfast’s ‘Bloody
Sunday’. During a large raid by RIC and Specials on Raglan St in
the early hours of the 10th July, an RIC patrol in a Crossley
tender is attacked in Ross St., off the Falls Rd in Belfast resulting in the
death of one policeman (Constable Thomas Conlon) and the wounding of two
other people in the tender. As the result of this and other incidents,
lorry loads of Specials attack Catholic areas, shooting wildly. The
ensuing disturbances result in the death of at least 20 people and
injuries to many more in the following week. More Detail |
Abbott (2000), pg
265; Hopkinson (2002), pg 163; Macardle (1999), pg 478; Gallagher (1953), pg
304; Phoenix (1994), pg 140; Parkinson (2004), pgs 143-146 & 152-156; McDermott (2001), pgs 99-103; O’Farrell
(1997), pg 111 |
|
Jul-11 |
An RIC man (Sgt
James King) is shot in Patrick St., Castlerea, Co. Roscommon and dies of his
wounds shortly afterwards. |
Abbott (2000), pg
266; O’Callaghan (2012), pgs 203-204 |
|
Jul-11 |
RIC Constable
Francis Hayward accidentally drowns. |
Abbott (2019), pg
407 |
|
Jul-11 |
RIC Constable
George Adam is shot in Edenderry, Co. Offaly and dies of his wounds on the 14th
September. Constable Adam was
from Forfar in Scotland and had nearly eighteen months’ service in the RIC. |
Abbott (2019), pgs
339-339 |
|
Jul-11 |
At 11.30am, the IRA
attack members of the Royal Fusiliers in High St, Killarney, Co Kerry killing
Sergeant Mears and wounding Sergeant F. J. Clarke. RIC men, on their way to
this incident, start shooting wildly and kill Hannah Carey, an hotel worker who was cleaning a carpet in College
St. |
Horgan (2018), pg
317 |
|
Jul-11 |
RIC Constable Alexander Clarke was shot dead in Skibbereen, Co. Cork. |
Abbott (2000), pg
266 |
|
Jul-11 |
At noon Truce
Begins - greeted by jubilation in Dublin (Monday) |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 61 |
|
|
|
|
|
July |
About 70,000 in IRA
but only 5,000 in active service units and about 3000 in flying columns. A
report by Mulcahy says that in June 1921 the IRA had 3295 rifles, 49
Thompson, 12 machine guns, ~15,000 shotguns and 6,000 pistols. |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 39 and pg 301 |
|
July |
About 70,000
British troops and police in Ireland with about half of them being infantry
effectives. |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 62 |
|
July |
Hart considers
claims by both sides to have the upper hand in the months before the Truce
and concludes that "For either side to impose its will on the other was
a very distant prospect." |
Hart (1998), pgs
104-108 |
|
July |
Curran reckons that
British got more out of truce than Irish. Even though British lost some
face, a return to fighting after truce would not have public support and IRA
was out in open. Also, by threatening drastic actions (with public
support) the British were likely to get most of what they wanted by way of a
settlement. |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 63 |
|
July |
About 2,000 killed
between Easter Monday 1916 and the Truce. British casualties between
Jan 1919 and truce were 405 police killed and 682 wounded and 150 soldiers
killed and 345 wounded. IRA deaths were about 650, which if the ~500
killed in 1916 are subtracted, would leave only ~300 civilian deaths during
the War of Independence (which seems low) |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 62 |
|
July |
During the War of
Independence, the IRA burnt 76 Country Homes (‘Big Houses) – 42 of them in
Munster. |
Dooley (2017), pg
449 |
|
Jul-12 |
Irish leaders leave
for London- de Valera, Stack, Griffith and Barton. |
Gallagher (1953),
pg 305 |
|
Jul-12 |
Giving a speech to
Orangemen in Belfast, Craig says “How can we ever forget what has been done
to our kith and kin in the South of Ireland? … We are going to enforce peace
if it does not come naturally.” |
Parkinson (2004), pg 160 |
|
Jul-12 |
Michael J Marren,
O/C of the Ballymote Battalion IRA, is drowned accidently at Strandhill, Co.
Sligo. Over 2,000 IRA men march behind
his coffin at this funeral. |
Farry (2012), pg 81 |
|
Jul-13 |
At the trial of IRA
man Philip McDade for his part in the attempted robbery of a post office on
the Sandy Row in Belfast, after which McDade was caught and badly beaten by a
loyalist crowd, he was cross-examined by RIC DI Nixon who said “The crowd
that caught you did their duty but did not finish it”, |
McDermott (2001), pg 108 |
|
Jul-13 |
The Belfast Telegraph reports on a court
case taken a farmer, Edward Fitzpatrick, from Clinaroo, Co. Fermanagh seeking
compensation as his home had been burnt down by Special Constables. However, the case is dismissed without
costs as the judge said that an order given by an officer commanding a unit
of his majesty’s forces was, in itself, a justification. |
Lawlor (2011), pg 191 |
|
Jul-14 |
As part of the
on-going Belfast Boycott, notices appear stating that paper money of the
northern banks (including the Northern, Ulster and Belfast banks) would cease
to be legal tender from the 14th July. The posters state
that “any persons trading with [these] banks will be severely punished and
banknotes seized.” |
Parkinson (2004), pg 76 |
|
Jul-14 |
1st meeting between
Lloyd George and de Valera in London - Lloyd George offers Dominion status
and threatens terrible coercion if no settlement. (Art O’Brien joined
the Irish delegation.) |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 64; Gallagher (1953), pg 306 |
|
Jul-15 |
2nd meeting. -De
Valera pushes for Independent but Associated Republic - Lloyd George refuses
to contemplate |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 64 |
|
Jul-16 |
6000 Republicans
imprisoned of whom 4,454 were internees |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 62 & Hopkinson (2002), pg 94; Townshend (1975), pg 195 |
|
Jul-16 |
As part of the
truce, liaison officers set up between British army/RIC and IRA to sort out
details at local level. Eoin O’Duffy, who had been appointed Truce
Liaison Officer for Belfast, sets up in St Mary Hall in Belfast and announces
that all IRA activity, except self-defence, would cease. Patrick Shiels in
appointed liaison office for Derry and Donegal but later is superseded by
Patrick Lynch from Magera. George Lennon
appointed liaison officer for Waterford with Paddy Paul as his deputy. |
McDermott (2001), pg 105; Grant
(2018), pg 120; McCarthy (2015), pg 89 |
|
Jul-17 |
Patrick McCarry
from Ballyligg, outside Ballycastle, Co. Antrim was accompanying RIC
Constable William Barry to Ballycastle RIC Barracks at 1am. The RIC man was in civilian attire. Constable Barry tapped on the window to
gain entrance. Special Constable
Samuel Steele looked out and, he did not recognise either man, he fired his
revolver through the window hitting Patrick McCarry in the chest. He later died of his wounds. |
O’Farrell (1997),
pg 112; Lawlor (2011), pg 192 |
|
Jul-18 |
3rd meeting. -
Lloyd George says if no partition then civil war - De Valera says that
South would rather leave North than have civil war - Lloyd George asks
Why not leave it alone now - De Valera says he will consult with his cabinet. |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 64 |
|
Jul-20 |
British cabinet
agrees proposals (incl. use of word Treaty) - a qualified Dominion status for
Southern Ireland whereby South would have full internal control incl.
taxation, finance and land defence; no navy; bases for royal navy;
restrictions on number of Irish army, rights of recruiting, free trade
between two countries; Irish contribution to British War Debt. In
addition, South must recognise "the existing powers and privileges of
the Parliament of Northern Ireland, which cannot be abrogated except by their
own consent”. Full text given in Macardle. Terms sent to Irish
delegation at the Grosvenor Hotel. |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 65; Macardle (1999), pgs 482-487; Gallagher (1953), pgs 308-309 |
|
Jul-20 |
Auxiliary Cadet
Major Cyrus Hunter Regnart commits suicide by shooting himself in Woodstock
House, Inistioge, Co. Kilkenny. |
Walsh (2018), pg 154 |
|
Jul-21 |
4th meeting -
De Valera rejects proposals & demands full Dominion status for all
Ireland or complete independence for South. De Valera gives Lloyd
George long speech of English misdeeds in Ireland. (Lloyd
George says that talking to De Valera was like trying to pick up mercury
with a fork.) De Valera agrees to bring British proposals back to Ireland
(where they are unanimously rejected by the Irish cabinet). |
Curran J M (1980),
pg 65 |
|
Jul-24 |
RIC attack
civilians in Limerick badly injuring several people. According to
Macardle, this was one of many such attacks at this time. |
Macardle (1999), pg
538 |
|
Jul-27 |
Denis Spriggs, 1st
Battalion, Cork No. 1 Brigade, IRA is killed. Also, D. McGrath from
Corruna Cross, Co. Cork dies (O’Farrell says that McGrath died on 21st.)
|
O'Kelly in The
Kerryman (1955), pg 26; O’Farrell (1997), pg 112 |
|
Jul-28 |
Ruling from the
House of Lords that the court martials held in Ireland were illegal. |
Macardle (1999), pg
465 |
|
Jul-29 |
Cathal Brugha,
Minister for Defence, writes to Mrs E Benson (sister of Mrs Lindsay)
confirming that the IRA had killed her sister the previous March. |
Sheehan (1990), pg
185 |
|
Jul-30 |
Brugha sends a
highly critical letter, using strident language, to Collins over the handling
of a case of a businessman called Robbie who had been banished from Ireland by
the IRA on incorrect information. See September 2nd. |
Townshend (2014), pg
326 |
|
Jul |
As part of the
truce, the Specials were immobilised and no more recruitment to new police
force. No further powers transferred to Northern Ireland
government until November. Parkinson notes that “Unionists felt they
were being sacrificed on the high altar of political pragmatism.” |
Phoenix (1994), pg
139; Parkinson (2004), pg141 |