At War with the Black and Tans

A few days before Ken Loach's film The Wind That Shakes The Barley was due for release I received the following email from Joe Williams in Ireland:

Dear Phil

Enclosed is the email address for the National Archives whom would send to you by link the files 929 and 1435 of National Military Archives. In them there is the ordering of execution of three captured Black and Tans by Donnacha O hAnnagain and his overseeing of this. Also Donnacha wanted to execute someone because they burned Davey Clancy's homestead in Cush but Clancy would not allow it.

(Davey Clancy was a lieutenant in the the Ballylanders Company IRA and had housed Dan Breen and Sean Tracey after the Knocklong rescue. Pat was VC of the Third Tipperary Flying Column and was shot dead in Kanturk on 17 August 1920.)

Donncadh O hAnnagain in the uniform of the Free State.

Who was Donnacha O hAnnagain?

My friend in Ballylanders, Councillor John Gallahue, who has written extensively about the history of the local area, speaks with great admiration about O hAnnagain. Major General Donncadh O hAnnagain led a number of ambushes against the British forces in southeast Limerick, under the Galtee Mountains. On another page on my website I provide an account of the unveiling of a plaque in his honour in 2002 on the Boro Road, Anglesboro.

O hAnnagain was my grandfather Jack Cleary's first cousin and was born on the Boro Road, Anglesboro - to Honora Cleary and James Hannigan - where all my Clearys were born. It was from here my great grandfather John Cleary (1842-1881) and his brother Dinny (O hAnnagain's uncles) left for Australia in 1863.

Like his mother, Honora Cleary, Donnacadh O hAnnagain was an Irish speaker. Sadly, although his uncles Dinny and John spoke Gaelic in their village the language did not survive in Australia.

The Bureau of Military History in Dublin carries a fascinating statement provided by O hAnnagain in 1951.

The plaque marks the place where Dan Breen and his men shot dead members of the Royal Irish Constabulary in Tipperary in 1919. To many it was seen as the event that started the war. O hAnnagain and Breen were well known to each other.

From his horticulture and gardening shop in Mitchelstown Donncadh Ohannagain began organising. His brother Donal had been involved in the Easter Rebellion. In 1920 Donncadh sprung into action.

A sketch of the battles:

April 1920 - Attack on Ballylanders Barracks

28 May 1920 - Attack on Kilmallock Barracks

Thomas Malone (Sean Forde) was in charge. Liam Scully died. OhAnnagain and Pat Clancy (Cush) attended Scully's funeral in Templegantine in County Kerry.

7 August 1920 - Attack on the Kildorrery - Meadstown road.

On the morning of 7 August Black and Tans in the village of Kildorrery had been seen dragging a tri-colour in the gutter along the main street. That done they headed down the Meadstown road, where an ambush was in readiness. All members of the patrol - six Black and Tans and two old RIC men - were wounded, two fatally.

A year later the Black and Tans returned to the house where members of the patrol had been imprisoned while being treated for their wounds and shot dead a man named O'Donnell. He was a Sinn Feiner but a non-combatant.

10 November 1920 - Attack at Grange

Grange is on the Limerick to Bruff Road. As the IRA was expecting only two lorries they had to retreat when eight arrived.

19 December 1920 - Glenacurrane - just north of Mitchelstown - near his Anglesboro home.

Ambush by East Limerick Brigade Column - led by Donncadh O hAnnagain - with help from Castletownroche Battalion Column (Cork No. 2) and Mitchelstown Company (Cork No.2 Brigade).

The British patrol was made up of two lorries with 20 members of the Lincolnshire Regiment. Four of the party were killed and three wounded. Letters and a medal, awarded to Lieutenant L B Sheppard Faulkner, for 'gallant conduct in Ireland on 17 September' were confiscated. The wounded were taken to Athmaslings Cross. The medal is in the national library.

23 December 1920 - skirmish in Cork City with brother Donal and Tans

Near the Union Quay Donnacadh, Donal, Tomas Malone and Volunteer Burke encountered a group of Tans. Theywere on Gratten Bridge at the time. Tomas Malone was captured and executed the next day.

1 January 1921 - Tans attack Tobin's house

On Saturday 1 January 1921 David Tobin and Thomas Murphy were surprised at Tobin's house. Tobin was shot and died in a field, where he was found dead surrounded by matches. It appears he was trying to get the attention of his comrades. In 1997 I filmed John Tobin of Glenbrohane at the spot where his uncle was killed.

Murphy was arrested. Ned Tobin, Tom Howard and O hAnnagain cycled to Ballynalacken from Kilclooney and saw the lorry with Tobin's body on the tray.

3 February 1921 - Dromkeen Ambush

Dromkeen is on the Caherconlish - Pallasgreen road. The RIC were returning from Caherconlish when the attack began at 2.30 pm in a spot where the road forks to Bruff and Old Pallas. The first lorry hit a wall leaving some dead. The second lorry came under fire. All 'succumbed to their wounds' said O hAnnagain in a document held at the Cathal Brugha Military Barracks. In fact three were executed, all by Maurice Meade.

The 11 policemen killed were Con Samuel Adams, Con George Bell, Con John Bourke, Con Michael Doyle, Con Patrick Foody, Con William Hayton, Con William Kingston, Con Sidney Millin, Con Bernard Mollaghan, Con Arthur Pearce and Con Henry Smith. Two escaped. The book - Who's Who in the IrishWar of Independence - lists Pallasgreen as the site of deaths.

The ambush was a joint operation of the flying Columns of the East and Mid Limerick Brigades IRA (some forty riflemen) under the command of Donnacha O hAnnagain O/C of East Limerick Brigade Flying Column.

Dick O'Connell, O/C of the Mid-Limerick Flying Column and a section leader was also present. Some time earlier the police had discovered the arms dump of the Mid-Limerick Brigade. There was only one IRA man - Liam Hayes - wounded. The I/O of the Mid Limerick Brigade, John Purcell, had sussed out the travel pattern of the RIC patrol.

The Reprisal

As a result of this battle 10 houses were burnt. On 6 February the Tans arrested civilians at Kilteely and took them to the house of Commandant Hayes and ordered them to pile furniture against the wall and set fire to the house. Hayes had lost a finger in the Dromkeen battle.

 

Site of an ambush involving Dinny Lacey from the Tipperary Brigade.

8 February 2001

Aeroplane pilot captured.

30 March 2001

O hAnnagain witnesses the death of Sean Finn at Ballyhahill. In this battle Tom Howard shot dead a Tan who was about to shoot the dying Finn.

Knocklong Station, where Dan Breen and his men rescued Sean Hogan and killed RIC men in 1919, in one of the famous battles.

I May 1921 - Attack at Shraharla Bridge near Tully

Volunteer Casey from mid Limerick brigade was captured and executed the next day. The Galbally patrol had been harassing civilians. That night the Volunteers marched twelve miles to the Knocklong neighbourhood.

Volunteers killed were:

Capt Paddy Stair, James Horan, Tim Hennessy and Vol Casey, who was executed.

2 May 1921

Around midday O hAnnagain was in a shop in Knocklong and was told there was firing in Lackelly. Upon being guided across fields by David Byrne he discovered the Galbally patrol had set upon his men. He desribed the incident as occurring when his men had their backs turned. This was contary to his policy, which was always to give the enemy a chance to surrender. The counter attack lasted for five hours.

Volunteers killed were:

Lieut Jim Frahill, Pat Ryan, William Riordan, Tom Howard. They were buried at Mohane Cross, in the corner of a field, by Father McGrath of Herbertstown. They were subsequently buried in Herbertstown cemetery.

May 1921

A few days after the Lackelly battle O hAnnagain was in the Annacarty region when a battle occurred which resulted in Brigadier Sean Wall being captured by the Tans. During this battle Joe O'Brien shot dead Sergeant Kingston and the Tans shot the captured Wall with a shotgun.