On This Day / April 16, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210416
Reference Date
19210416
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 16th April 1921, trains were hijacked in Donegal, a British Auxiliary officer was shot dead in Kerry and unrest involving Specials broke out in Omagh. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Train Goes Missing | On This Day – 16th April 1921
THE train from Stranorlar to Glenties [County Donegal] was held up yesterday at Fintown Station by masked men carrying rifles and two mailbags were carried off.
The railway officials were threatened and all the railway and post office telegraph wires were cut.
The manager, Mr Forbes, hearing of these incidents, ran a special train on the line before allowing the ordinary train to proceed.
He found the railway line near Ballinamore Station had been unfastened and diverted in such a way as would cause a serious accident and perhaps loss of life.
Yesterday morning armed and undisguised men held up a goods train carrying the mail at Falcarragh.
Taking over the train, they compelled the driver to proceed in the direction of Burtonport.
Since then, the railway company have heard nothing of the fate of the train as when it left Falcarragh, the wires were cut.
This is the ninth occurrence on the company’s lines within the present month when trains were held up and mails seized.
British Commander Shot Dead
THE following report was issued by Dublin Castle last night: Major MacKinnon, MC, Officer Commanding the H Company, Auxiliary Division, RIC was murdered while playing on Tralee golf links at 4 p.m. today.
He was playing a round of golf with a companion, who is a Cadet in the same company, when fire was opened on them by a party from behind a hedge.
The officer’s companion returned fire but Major MacKinnon fell wounded in the head and back and died later. His companion was uninjured.
‘Specials’ on Rampage in Omagh
FOUR Special Constables, who were under the influence of drink, went down Castle Street in Omagh singing, ‘Dolly’s Brae’ and shouting, ‘No surrender’.
A Catholic ex-soldier then shouted, ‘Up Dublin’ and he was immediately seized by the Specials who attempted to bring him to the military barracks.
However, a number of civilians intervened and released him.
The Specials then drew their revolvers and threatened to fire but the arrival of a number of RIC men put an end to the disturbance.
‘Belfast Boycott’ Still Enforced in South
TWO shops in Mullingar [County Westmeath] were recently raided by a number of armed and masked men who said they were in search of Belfast goods.
The shops were searched and a quantity of cigarettes, matches, jam, etc were taken away and thrown into the river.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: During the War of Independence havoc was wrought on the Irish rail network.
The IRA made frequent attacks on troop trains and often held up trains to seize the mails or destroy Belfast goods bound for Southern destinations.)
On This Day – 16th April 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210416
Reference Date
19210416
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 16th April 1921, trains were hijacked in Donegal, a British Auxiliary officer was shot dead in Kerry and unrest involving Specials broke out in Omagh. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Train Goes Missing | On This Day – 16th April 1921
THE train from Stranorlar to Glenties [County Donegal] was held up yesterday at Fintown Station by masked men carrying rifles and two mailbags were carried off.
The railway officials were threatened and all the railway and post office telegraph wires were cut.
The manager, Mr Forbes, hearing of these incidents, ran a special train on the line before allowing the ordinary train to proceed.
He found the railway line near Ballinamore Station had been unfastened and diverted in such a way as would cause a serious accident and perhaps loss of life.
Yesterday morning armed and undisguised men held up a goods train carrying the mail at Falcarragh.
Taking over the train, they compelled the driver to proceed in the direction of Burtonport.
Since then, the railway company have heard nothing of the fate of the train as when it left Falcarragh, the wires were cut.
This is the ninth occurrence on the company’s lines within the present month when trains were held up and mails seized.
British Commander Shot Dead
THE following report was issued by Dublin Castle last night: Major MacKinnon, MC, Officer Commanding the H Company, Auxiliary Division, RIC was murdered while playing on Tralee golf links at 4 p.m. today.
He was playing a round of golf with a companion, who is a Cadet in the same company, when fire was opened on them by a party from behind a hedge.
The officer’s companion returned fire but Major MacKinnon fell wounded in the head and back and died later. His companion was uninjured.
‘Specials’ on Rampage in Omagh
FOUR Special Constables, who were under the influence of drink, went down Castle Street in Omagh singing, ‘Dolly’s Brae’ and shouting, ‘No surrender’.
A Catholic ex-soldier then shouted, ‘Up Dublin’ and he was immediately seized by the Specials who attempted to bring him to the military barracks.
However, a number of civilians intervened and released him.
The Specials then drew their revolvers and threatened to fire but the arrival of a number of RIC men put an end to the disturbance.
‘Belfast Boycott’ Still Enforced in South
TWO shops in Mullingar [County Westmeath] were recently raided by a number of armed and masked men who said they were in search of Belfast goods.
The shops were searched and a quantity of cigarettes, matches, jam, etc were taken away and thrown into the river.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: During the War of Independence havoc was wrought on the Irish rail network.
The IRA made frequent attacks on troop trains and often held up trains to seize the mails or destroy Belfast goods bound for Southern destinations.)
On This Day – 16th April 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210416
Reference Date
April 16, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 16th April 1921, trains were hijacked in Donegal, a British Auxiliary officer was shot dead in Kerry and unrest involving Specials broke out in Omagh. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Train Goes Missing | On This Day – 16th April 1921
THE train from Stranorlar to Glenties [County Donegal] was held up yesterday at Fintown Station by masked men carrying rifles and two mailbags were carried off.
The railway officials were threatened and all the railway and post office telegraph wires were cut.
The manager, Mr Forbes, hearing of these incidents, ran a special train on the line before allowing the ordinary train to proceed.
He found the railway line near Ballinamore Station had been unfastened and diverted in such a way as would cause a serious accident and perhaps loss of life.
Yesterday morning armed and undisguised men held up a goods train carrying the mail at Falcarragh.
Taking over the train, they compelled the driver to proceed in the direction of Burtonport.
Since then, the railway company have heard nothing of the fate of the train as when it left Falcarragh, the wires were cut.
This is the ninth occurrence on the company’s lines within the present month when trains were held up and mails seized.
British Commander Shot Dead
THE following report was issued by Dublin Castle last night: Major MacKinnon, MC, Officer Commanding the H Company, Auxiliary Division, RIC was murdered while playing on Tralee golf links at 4 p.m. today.
He was playing a round of golf with a companion, who is a Cadet in the same company, when fire was opened on them by a party from behind a hedge.
The officer’s companion returned fire but Major MacKinnon fell wounded in the head and back and died later. His companion was uninjured.
‘Specials’ on Rampage in Omagh
FOUR Special Constables, who were under the influence of drink, went down Castle Street in Omagh singing, ‘Dolly’s Brae’ and shouting, ‘No surrender’.
A Catholic ex-soldier then shouted, ‘Up Dublin’ and he was immediately seized by the Specials who attempted to bring him to the military barracks.
However, a number of civilians intervened and released him.
The Specials then drew their revolvers and threatened to fire but the arrival of a number of RIC men put an end to the disturbance.
‘Belfast Boycott’ Still Enforced in South
TWO shops in Mullingar [County Westmeath] were recently raided by a number of armed and masked men who said they were in search of Belfast goods.
The shops were searched and a quantity of cigarettes, matches, jam, etc were taken away and thrown into the river.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: During the War of Independence havoc was wrought on the Irish rail network.
The IRA made frequent attacks on troop trains and often held up trains to seize the mails or destroy Belfast goods bound for Southern destinations.)
On This Day – 16th April 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.