Kilmeena ambush
Encyclopedia
The Kilmeena ambush was an action during the Irish War of Independence
that took place at Kilmeena
, County Mayo
on 19 May 1921. The ambush ended in defeat for the local West Mayo Irish Republican Army
(IRA), with six IRA men killed and seven wounded. Two members of the police force—one Royal Irish Constabulary
(RIC) and one Black and Tan
—were also killed in the action.
and Westport
to try to draw the police out of their well-defended barracks. One RIC man died in these attacks.
At 3am the next day, 19 May, the column of 41 IRA men took up position close to Knocknabola Bridge. The British convoy, travelling from Newport to Westport, consisted of two Crossley lorries and one Ford touring car—a total of about 50 men. The convoy did not arrive until 3pm and its arrival sparked a two-hour fire-fight. In the battle, one RIC man, Beckett, was wounded and later died. The British regrouped around the house of the parish priest, Father Conroy, and launched a counter attack.
Four IRA volunteers were killed. They were Seamus Mc Evilly, Thomas O'Donnell, Patrick Staunton and Sean Collins. Paddy Jordan of the Castlebar battalion was injured and died later at Bricens Hospital in Dublin. action. Seven more IRA men were wounded.
The remainder of the column, carrying their wounded, fled over the mountains to Skerdagh, where they had safe houses. However, the British tracked them there and, in another exchange of fire, another IRA man was killed, Jim Brown from Newport.
, the British allowed only close family to attend and forbade the draping of the Irish tricolour
over the coffins.
The local IRA blamed their defeat in the ambush on the failure of an IRA unit from Westport to show up in time.
Kilroy's column managed to get some revenge for the setback at Kilmeena the following month (3 June) in an action at Carrowkennedy
, where they killed seven policemen and captured 16.
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
that took place at Kilmeena
Kilmeena
Kilmeena is a small village in County Mayo, Ireland, near Westport. The village has a Catholic church and a school.-History:The Kilmeena ambush was the scene of a defeat for the local Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence. On May 19, 1921, British troops surprised an IRA ambush...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
on 19 May 1921. The ambush ended in defeat for the local West Mayo Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
(IRA), with six IRA men killed and seven wounded. Two members of the police force—one Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
(RIC) and one Black and Tan
Black and Tan
Black and Tan is a drink made from a blend of pale ale, usually Bass Pale Ale, and a dark beer such as a stout or porter, most often Guinness. Sometimes a pale lager is used instead of ale; this is usually called a half and half. Contrary to popular belief, however, Black and Tan as a mixture of...
—were also killed in the action.
Background
The IRA in west Mayo was relatively quiet until January 1921, when Michael Kilroy, described as, "a puritanical and ascetic blacksmith" took over command of the Brigade after Tom Derrig was arrested by the British. Kilroy formed a relatively large "flying column" of 40–50 men to carry out attacks on British forces in the area. On 6 May they suffered a reverse at Islandeady, when a British patrol came upon the IRA men cutting a road; three volunteers were killed and two captured.Ambush
On 18 May 1921, the IRA decided to attack an RIC/Black and Tan convoy at Kilmeena. Two small-unit attacks were made on the RIC barracks in NewportNewport, County Mayo
Newport, historically known as Ballyveaghan , is a small picturesque town in the Barony of Burrishoole County Mayo, Ireland with a population of 590 in 2006. It is located on the west coast of Ireland, along the shore of Clew Bay, north of Westport. The N59 road passes through the town. The...
and Westport
Westport, County Mayo
Westport is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the west coast at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean....
to try to draw the police out of their well-defended barracks. One RIC man died in these attacks.
At 3am the next day, 19 May, the column of 41 IRA men took up position close to Knocknabola Bridge. The British convoy, travelling from Newport to Westport, consisted of two Crossley lorries and one Ford touring car—a total of about 50 men. The convoy did not arrive until 3pm and its arrival sparked a two-hour fire-fight. In the battle, one RIC man, Beckett, was wounded and later died. The British regrouped around the house of the parish priest, Father Conroy, and launched a counter attack.
Four IRA volunteers were killed. They were Seamus Mc Evilly, Thomas O'Donnell, Patrick Staunton and Sean Collins. Paddy Jordan of the Castlebar battalion was injured and died later at Bricens Hospital in Dublin. action. Seven more IRA men were wounded.
The remainder of the column, carrying their wounded, fled over the mountains to Skerdagh, where they had safe houses. However, the British tracked them there and, in another exchange of fire, another IRA man was killed, Jim Brown from Newport.
Aftermath
The British forces threw the dead and wounded IRA men on to the street outside the RIC barracks in nearby Westport, causing widespread revulsion among the local people. The Marquis of Sligo, no friend of the republican guerrillas, visited the barracks to complain of their treatment of enemy dead. At the funerals of those killed, in CastlebarCastlebar
Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
, the British allowed only close family to attend and forbade the draping of the Irish tricolour
Flag of Ireland
The national flag of Ireland is a vertical tricolour of green , white, and orange. It is also known as the Irish tricolour. The flag proportion is 1:2...
over the coffins.
The local IRA blamed their defeat in the ambush on the failure of an IRA unit from Westport to show up in time.
Kilroy's column managed to get some revenge for the setback at Kilmeena the following month (3 June) in an action at Carrowkennedy
Carrowkennedy ambush
The Carrowkennedy Ambush was an ambush carried out by the Irish Republican Army on 2 June 1921, during the Irish War of Independence. It took place in Carrowkennedy, County Mayo....
, where they killed seven policemen and captured 16.