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 |