September 1919

Sep-02

An RIC cycle patrol is ambushed between Lorrha and Carriguhorig, Co Tipperary resulting in the death of one RIC man (Sgt Philip Brady) and the serious wounding of another (Constable Foley).  Among the Irish Volunteers men who took part in the ambush were John Madden, Michael Hogan, John Gilligan and James Carroll.  Madden was later tried for the murder of Sgt Brady.

Abbott (2000), pg 44-45; Dooley (2015), pg 50

Sep-07

Attack by the IRA on 15 British soldiers on route to church in Fermoy, Co. Cork - one soldier is killed.  More Detail

O'Donnoghue (1986), pg50; Townshend (1975), pg 30; Townshend (2014), pg 105

Sep-08

East Kent regiment sack Fermoy in retaliation for attack of previous day.  (Breen says it was mainly Buffs and Royal Flying Corps.)  Townshend says that this was the first serious reprisal of the conflict and occurred when the jury at the coroner’s inquest refused to bring in a verdict of murder.

O'Donnoghue (1986), pg53; Breen (1989), pg 105; Townshend (2014), pg 105

Sep-09

Reacting to Shaw's memo of the 27th Aug, RIC Inspector General Byrne writes to the Under Secretary of State saying that British Army withdrawal of outpost detachments will result in widespread withdrawal of RIC from smaller barracks by Christmas.  From the autumn, police barracks in large parts of the south and west, particularly in remote rural areas, were progressively evacuated.  See October 7th.

Townshend (1975), pg 29 & Hopkinson (2002), pg 27

Sep-10

Dáil Éireann, Sinn Féin and all separatist organisations are proclaimed by the British cabinet throughout Ireland. 

A number of historians have stated that this action resulted in an escalation of the military conflict as it cut off the main avenue of peaceful political protest. Townshend notes that the Liberals in the Coalition Cabinet “were dismayed at the idea of proscribing a political party” and he also notes that Dáil Éireann was “a body whose members had been elected by the British democratic system”.  In the British cabinet, Edward Shortt had argued that ministers should drive a wedge between moderates and extremists and said that “No one would be more relieved than the Sinn Feiners if the Irish Volunteers were proclaimed”.  However, his arguments are not listened to.

Townshend (1975), pg 31; Macardle (1999), pg 308; Gallagher (1953), pg 68; Townshend (2014), pg 100-101

Sep-12

Crown Forces carry out large raid on Sinn Féin HQ, 6 Harcourt St., Dublin.

Abbott (2000), pg 45

Sep-12

Detective Constable Daniel Hoey of the G Division DMP shot dead in Townsend St, rear of the Central Police Station in Brunswick St. - 2nd 'G man’ to be killed – see 30th July.  (Abbott indicates that he was targeted as he may have identified Sean MacDiarmada in Richmond Barracks after the 1916 Rising.)  The IRA team were Mick McDonnell, Jim Slattery and Tom Ennis. See November 10th

Hopkinson (2002), pg 100;  Abbott (2000), pg 45; Price (2017), pg 81

Sep-13

Along with other local newspapers, the Dundalk Examiner is suppressed by the Castle Authorities.

Hall (2019), pg 66

Sep-19

Official founding of the Squad at a meeting in 46 Parnell Sq.  The Squad is a group of full-time IRA men answerable to Collins.  It already had two assassinations to its name (Smyth and Hoey).  Price says that this date seen the setting up a second ‘special services’ group under Paddy O’Daly and included Joe Leonard, Ben Barrett and Sean Doyle (all from B Company, 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, IRA).

Coogan (1990) pg 116; Price (2017), pg 84

Sep-21

First meeting of Commission of Inquiry into the Industry and Resources of Ireland set up in June by the Dáil.  Figgis had been appointed Secretary of the Commission earlier in September after the British closed down his paper (The Republic) after it had advertised the Dáil Loan.

Figgis (1927), pg 267-268; Macardle (1999), pg 318; Townshend (2014), pg 93

Sep-25

An accident in the explosives store of Castlecomer Collieries in Co Kilkenny led to the deaths of three British soldiers (Private Frank Lord; Private George Frederick Heppenstall and Lance Corporal Andrew Walsh) and the injury of two others.

Walsh (2018); pg 61

Sep-28

Two RIC men attacked on leaving church in Berrings, near Blarney, Co, Cork.

Hopkinson (2002), pg 49

Sep

Curran says Collins made Director of Intelligence of IRA but Doyle says June.

Curran J M (1980), pg26; Doyle (2008), pg 32

End-Sep

Reported that number of raids by security forces on private houses in previous nine months was 5,588 and Macardle claims that actual figure was much higher.

Macardle (1999), pg 316;

End -Sep

After working informally for some time, around this period, Collins sets up an Intelligence Department with Liam Tobin as his Deputy Director of Intelligence and Tom Cullen as Assistant Director.  Over the coming period, Frank Thornton, Frank Saurin, Charlie Dalton, Joe Dolan and Joe Guilfoyle will join.  (They work mostly out of 3 Crow St, off Dame St. in offices disguised as Irish Products Company.)  A key agent was Lily Merlin who worked as a shorthand typist for the British Army in Dublin Castle. Along with Merlin, other key agents working within the British forces were Ned Broy (see 7th April above), James McNamara, David Neligan and Sean Kavanagh.

Price (2017), pgs 88-89;

Foy (2017), pg 420

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