On This Day / March 23, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210323
Reference Date
19210323
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 23rd March 1921, sectarian violence erupted around Roslea on the Fermanagh–Monaghan border while Ulster Specials were deployed to reopen a police station in Derry’s Bogside. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Roslea’s Night of Terror | On This Day – 23rd March 1921
DUBLIN Castle states: A general attack was made by Sinn Feiners and Loyalists in the Roslea district of County Fermanagh last night.
William Goldon, Rathkeevan and Samuel Nixon, Tattymore, were shot dead. Three dwelling-houses were burned down and other houses wrecked. Some arms were taken from a Loyalist.
Our Newbliss correspondent says: Things apparently went well at Roslea since the burning of the Catholic houses, the Catholic population avoiding anything to cause further trouble.
On St Patrick’s evening, a local Unionist farmer, having some hot words over recent events, drew his revolver and struck people on the heads with it.
Monday night saw more disorder when armed raiders visited the house of Samuel Nixon, Tattymore, about 11 p.m.
He is alleged to have been fired at through the window and slightly wounded but the raiders entered and took him to the front where he was shot dead in the presence of his wife.
The latter, in an effort to save her husband, was shot and wounded in the hand, one of her fingers being completely severed. The deceased leaves a family of six.
The house of William Gordon, a caretaker on the Springrove Estate was then visited.
Gordon was standing with his back to the fire when he was shot dead through a window.
The house of a widow named Douglas of Aghafin was also visited and a son Joseph taken out and fired at.
He was wounded so seriously that Dr S A D’Arcy had him removed to Clones Hospital.
The work of burning was then entered upon and the first house visited was that of Edward Nelson, Mullaghconnolly, which was set on fire by the raiders. Nelson and his two sons escaped.
Thomas Lester of Mullaglass was next visited and his house burned to ashes. Lester is a brother of George Lester, the Roslea merchant who was fired and wounded a month ago. Other burnings are reported.
Specials had poured into Roslea. Two young men named Toal and Boylan have been arrested.
The country is being scoured by Specials and all the inhabitants of Roslea have fled, fearing the complete wiping out of the town.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The dark days before partition marked by serious outbreaks of sectarian violence on the Fermanagh-Monaghan border involving both the new Special Constabulary and the IRA.
This report describes a series of IRA attacks on local B Specials and reprisals by the USC in the nationalist village.)
Specials Deployed
THIRTY Ulster Specials having arrived from Newtownards, a police station was reopened in the Bogside district of Derry yesterday. The Bogside is a nationalist area.
On This Day – 23rd March 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210323
Reference Date
19210323
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 23rd March 1921, sectarian violence erupted around Roslea on the Fermanagh–Monaghan border while Ulster Specials were deployed to reopen a police station in Derry’s Bogside. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Roslea’s Night of Terror | On This Day – 23rd March 1921
DUBLIN Castle states: A general attack was made by Sinn Feiners and Loyalists in the Roslea district of County Fermanagh last night.
William Goldon, Rathkeevan and Samuel Nixon, Tattymore, were shot dead. Three dwelling-houses were burned down and other houses wrecked. Some arms were taken from a Loyalist.
Our Newbliss correspondent says: Things apparently went well at Roslea since the burning of the Catholic houses, the Catholic population avoiding anything to cause further trouble.
On St Patrick’s evening, a local Unionist farmer, having some hot words over recent events, drew his revolver and struck people on the heads with it.
Monday night saw more disorder when armed raiders visited the house of Samuel Nixon, Tattymore, about 11 p.m.
He is alleged to have been fired at through the window and slightly wounded but the raiders entered and took him to the front where he was shot dead in the presence of his wife.
The latter, in an effort to save her husband, was shot and wounded in the hand, one of her fingers being completely severed. The deceased leaves a family of six.
The house of William Gordon, a caretaker on the Springrove Estate was then visited.
Gordon was standing with his back to the fire when he was shot dead through a window.
The house of a widow named Douglas of Aghafin was also visited and a son Joseph taken out and fired at.
He was wounded so seriously that Dr S A D’Arcy had him removed to Clones Hospital.
The work of burning was then entered upon and the first house visited was that of Edward Nelson, Mullaghconnolly, which was set on fire by the raiders. Nelson and his two sons escaped.
Thomas Lester of Mullaglass was next visited and his house burned to ashes. Lester is a brother of George Lester, the Roslea merchant who was fired and wounded a month ago. Other burnings are reported.
Specials had poured into Roslea. Two young men named Toal and Boylan have been arrested.
The country is being scoured by Specials and all the inhabitants of Roslea have fled, fearing the complete wiping out of the town.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The dark days before partition marked by serious outbreaks of sectarian violence on the Fermanagh-Monaghan border involving both the new Special Constabulary and the IRA.
This report describes a series of IRA attacks on local B Specials and reprisals by the USC in the nationalist village.)
Specials Deployed
THIRTY Ulster Specials having arrived from Newtownards, a police station was reopened in the Bogside district of Derry yesterday. The Bogside is a nationalist area.
On This Day – 23rd March 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210323
Reference Date
March 23, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 23rd March 1921, sectarian violence erupted around Roslea on the Fermanagh–Monaghan border while Ulster Specials were deployed to reopen a police station in Derry’s Bogside. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Roslea’s Night of Terror | On This Day – 23rd March 1921
DUBLIN Castle states: A general attack was made by Sinn Feiners and Loyalists in the Roslea district of County Fermanagh last night.
William Goldon, Rathkeevan and Samuel Nixon, Tattymore, were shot dead. Three dwelling-houses were burned down and other houses wrecked. Some arms were taken from a Loyalist.
Our Newbliss correspondent says: Things apparently went well at Roslea since the burning of the Catholic houses, the Catholic population avoiding anything to cause further trouble.
On St Patrick’s evening, a local Unionist farmer, having some hot words over recent events, drew his revolver and struck people on the heads with it.
Monday night saw more disorder when armed raiders visited the house of Samuel Nixon, Tattymore, about 11 p.m.
He is alleged to have been fired at through the window and slightly wounded but the raiders entered and took him to the front where he was shot dead in the presence of his wife.
The latter, in an effort to save her husband, was shot and wounded in the hand, one of her fingers being completely severed. The deceased leaves a family of six.
The house of William Gordon, a caretaker on the Springrove Estate was then visited.
Gordon was standing with his back to the fire when he was shot dead through a window.
The house of a widow named Douglas of Aghafin was also visited and a son Joseph taken out and fired at.
He was wounded so seriously that Dr S A D’Arcy had him removed to Clones Hospital.
The work of burning was then entered upon and the first house visited was that of Edward Nelson, Mullaghconnolly, which was set on fire by the raiders. Nelson and his two sons escaped.
Thomas Lester of Mullaglass was next visited and his house burned to ashes. Lester is a brother of George Lester, the Roslea merchant who was fired and wounded a month ago. Other burnings are reported.
Specials had poured into Roslea. Two young men named Toal and Boylan have been arrested.
The country is being scoured by Specials and all the inhabitants of Roslea have fled, fearing the complete wiping out of the town.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The dark days before partition marked by serious outbreaks of sectarian violence on the Fermanagh-Monaghan border involving both the new Special Constabulary and the IRA.
This report describes a series of IRA attacks on local B Specials and reprisals by the USC in the nationalist village.)
Specials Deployed
THIRTY Ulster Specials having arrived from Newtownards, a police station was reopened in the Bogside district of Derry yesterday. The Bogside is a nationalist area.
On This Day – 23rd March 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.