The Official TFK Ireland 1912-1923 Thread

[Corksfinedtboy]

I’d say without being even a wee bit paranoid, brit dirty tricks helped Hart and co ,( in some way or shape/ they’re the worlds best at it) course our own shysters in Leinster house were delighted, deflecting, deflecting etc etc

[johnnysachs]

Dan Breens my fight for Irish freedom on TG4 at half 9 in case ye are interested.

[Corksfinedtboy]

Col Smyth was assassinated in the “ grocers club” which became one of Tom Barry’s haunts

[Corksfinedtboy]

Powerful

[flutehook]

@johnnysachs

Where “Mountainy men have sown”

Where Mountainy Men Have Sown: War and Peace in Rebel Cork in the turbulent...

[johnnysachs]

New War of Independence trail launched in West Cork 

[Thomas_Brady]

Pickardstown Ambush 100 years…

Talk us through it @Fagan_ODowd

[Fagan_ODowd]

@Fagan_ODowd

Nicholas Whittle.

Waterford was not the most renowned battalion in the Republican Army. It was a common jibe many years ago that our Cork neighbours, would often throw at us “that’s some fucking balls of a county, one ambush and two All Irelands”. The one ambush - of which more anon - was the Burgery ambush, outside Dungarvan, carried out by the West Waterford brigade led by George Lennon.

The East Waterford brigade also attempted an ambush, but this one was catastrophic. The plan was to lure British forces out of the City by attacking the RIC barracks in Tramore and to attack them at Pickardstown. However the action was a fiasco and put the lives of the volunteers at unnecessary risk. It was such a botch job that I have long suspected that the brigade commander, Paddy Paul, must have been a double agent.

The British arrived on the scene as per the plan, but Paul and others had become detached from the main force allowing the British to counterattack with ease. Two volunteers were shot dead on the spot, Michael McGrath from Tramore and Thomas Ryan from Dunhill. A third volunteer - Nicholas Whittle from Tramore was bayoneted and shot and left for dead by the British. Somehow Whittle gathered the strength to haul himself five miles that night to his cousins house in Ballygunner. The next day he was spirited into the Mental Hospital where the Resident Medical Officer, Dr Fitzgerald tended to his wounds.

However the family were in a conundrum. The British had assumed Whittle was dead but if there was no funeral the alarm would be raised. So the family staged a full funeral, but the coffin was empty. Meanwhile Whittle was spirited to the USA where he sat out the rest of the war.

On his return he was ever after known as the Dead man and his son Connie Whittle, who I knew was always known as the Dead Mans son.

Cc @Thomas_Brady

Edit If I can put my hands on Whittles book today I’ll post up the diagrams

[Fagan_ODowd]

[Corksfinedtboy]

That’s all new to me, the youghal fuckers didn’t exactly set the place alight either

[TreatyStones]

From I’ve read i don’t remember many stories of the IRA having established routes for the importation of arms and ammunition into the country. Had they much of a network?

[Fagan_ODowd]

@TreatyStones

From I’ve read i don’t remember many stories of the IRA having established routes for the importation of arms and ammunition into the country. Had they much of a network?

No they hadn’t which is why capturing weapons from the Black and Tans was so important. The only real mass importation was the Asgard in Howth and most of those rifles went Redmond’s volunteers. As a matter of interest a decoy landing was set up at Little Island in Waterford in the parish of Ballygunner near where I grew up and the British were watching that like a hawk when the guns landed in Howth.

[TreatyStones]

@Fagan_ODowd

No they hadn’t which is why capturing weapons from the Black and Tans was so important.

That must have been a major failing of HQ. It couldn’t have been that hard to secure a semi regular supply of ammo from Europe or America?

[Ralphie]

Just finished “On another mans wound” by Ernie O’Malley
Enjoyed the parts in Dublin more so than the parts where Ernie was moving from county to county (unsurprisingly the Kilkenny lads seemed to be stone cold useless), was really a case of living day to day

Anyone recommend any other books from this period by anyone involved in the war of independence.

[ciarancareyshurlingarmy]

https://tfk.thefreekick.com/t/coty-2020-round-of-21-2-of-3/33394

Charlie Flanagan is three votes off qualifying for the final.

Please remember him in the booth and give him your number one or number two vote.

I don’t ask for much - don’t let me down here now.

[Corksfinedtboy]

[backinatracksuit]

Irish History Podcast (Fin) (irishhistory)

[cmontofuck]

Centenary of the Clonfin ambush in Longford today.

Clonfin Ambush: North Longford Flying Column’s finest hour as the elite...

[Corksfinedtboy]

Well done Longford

[backinatracksuit]

Nationwide tonight is a Cllonmult special.

I listen to episode 1 of the new Irish history podcast today, a very easy listen