On This Day / April 26, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210426
Reference Date
19210426
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 26th April 1921, Belfast saw deadly reprisals after IRA attacks, two brothers were shot dead in Clonard and a man was executed in Mountjoy Prison. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Belfast Atrocities | On This Day – 26th April 1921
BELFAST has just had another grisly weekend – a night of terror and atrocities.
Two members of the Auxiliary force were assailed by armed men in the centre of the city at 9.10 p.m. on Saturday night in the presence of huge crowds.
One was shot dead, the other wounded and two civilians – one a woman, injured in the course of the melee.
The wounded Cadet died in the Royal Victoria Hospital last night.
Afterwards, armed men burst into the house of Mr Henry Duffin, Clonard Gardens in the centre of West Belfast, and shot his two sons dead, retreating afterwards – apparently unobserved.
The dead are: Auxiliary-Cadet E Bolan, RIC; Auxiliary-Cadet John Bales, RIC; Patrick Duffin (28), Clonard Gardens; Daniel Duffin (24), Clonard Gardens.
The Clonard tragedy took place a short time before midnight and involved the death of two brothers.
The [police] patrol motor passed and there was a violent knocking at the hall door. The other members of the family heard a loud command – ‘Put up your hands.’
Simultaneously shots were heard. The party, so far as could be seen, numbered three men who wore trench coats.
After the party had left, a dog which had entered the house with them was observed in the hall whining to get out and yesterday morning a District Inspector called and took it away.
Patrick (28) was a National teacher and Daniel (24) was a clerk.
Dublin Execution
THOMAS Traynor, Dublin, the father of ten children, was executed at Mountjoy Prison yesterday morning.
He was sentenced by courtmartial to death in connection with the ambush of Auxiliary police at Great Brunswick Street last month.
Acquittal in Gilford Murder Trial
THE trial by courtmartial concluded in Victoria Barracks yesterday of five men charged with the murder of William McDowell of Gilford on the 3rd September last.
In the case of William McConville, a wages clerk at the firm of Dunbar McMaster & Co., evidence of character was given by a former manager of the firm.
He said the accused had handled large sums of money for years and was always an honest, hard-working man.
On the murder charge McConville had pleaded not guilty and was found not guilty and honourably acquitted.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The IRA killing of two Auxiliaries in the city centre triggered an immediate reprisal response from the RIC and Specials in West Belfast.
From Glenravel, Co Antrim, the Duffin family were immersed in Gaelic culture while Dan was a member of the local IRA.
The IRA blamed District Inspector Ferris (recently arrived from Cork) for the murders and seriously wounded him at St Paul’s Church a few weeks later.)
On This Day – 26th April 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210426
Reference Date
19210426
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 26th April 1921, Belfast saw deadly reprisals after IRA attacks, two brothers were shot dead in Clonard and a man was executed in Mountjoy Prison. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Belfast Atrocities | On This Day – 26th April 1921
BELFAST has just had another grisly weekend – a night of terror and atrocities.
Two members of the Auxiliary force were assailed by armed men in the centre of the city at 9.10 p.m. on Saturday night in the presence of huge crowds.
One was shot dead, the other wounded and two civilians – one a woman, injured in the course of the melee.
The wounded Cadet died in the Royal Victoria Hospital last night.
Afterwards, armed men burst into the house of Mr Henry Duffin, Clonard Gardens in the centre of West Belfast, and shot his two sons dead, retreating afterwards – apparently unobserved.
The dead are: Auxiliary-Cadet E Bolan, RIC; Auxiliary-Cadet John Bales, RIC; Patrick Duffin (28), Clonard Gardens; Daniel Duffin (24), Clonard Gardens.
The Clonard tragedy took place a short time before midnight and involved the death of two brothers.
The [police] patrol motor passed and there was a violent knocking at the hall door. The other members of the family heard a loud command – ‘Put up your hands.’
Simultaneously shots were heard. The party, so far as could be seen, numbered three men who wore trench coats.
After the party had left, a dog which had entered the house with them was observed in the hall whining to get out and yesterday morning a District Inspector called and took it away.
Patrick (28) was a National teacher and Daniel (24) was a clerk.
Dublin Execution
THOMAS Traynor, Dublin, the father of ten children, was executed at Mountjoy Prison yesterday morning.
He was sentenced by courtmartial to death in connection with the ambush of Auxiliary police at Great Brunswick Street last month.
Acquittal in Gilford Murder Trial
THE trial by courtmartial concluded in Victoria Barracks yesterday of five men charged with the murder of William McDowell of Gilford on the 3rd September last.
In the case of William McConville, a wages clerk at the firm of Dunbar McMaster & Co., evidence of character was given by a former manager of the firm.
He said the accused had handled large sums of money for years and was always an honest, hard-working man.
On the murder charge McConville had pleaded not guilty and was found not guilty and honourably acquitted.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The IRA killing of two Auxiliaries in the city centre triggered an immediate reprisal response from the RIC and Specials in West Belfast.
From Glenravel, Co Antrim, the Duffin family were immersed in Gaelic culture while Dan was a member of the local IRA.
The IRA blamed District Inspector Ferris (recently arrived from Cork) for the murders and seriously wounded him at St Paul’s Church a few weeks later.)
On This Day – 26th April 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210426
Reference Date
April 26, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 26th April 1921, Belfast saw deadly reprisals after IRA attacks, two brothers were shot dead in Clonard and a man was executed in Mountjoy Prison. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Belfast Atrocities | On This Day – 26th April 1921
BELFAST has just had another grisly weekend – a night of terror and atrocities.
Two members of the Auxiliary force were assailed by armed men in the centre of the city at 9.10 p.m. on Saturday night in the presence of huge crowds.
One was shot dead, the other wounded and two civilians – one a woman, injured in the course of the melee.
The wounded Cadet died in the Royal Victoria Hospital last night.
Afterwards, armed men burst into the house of Mr Henry Duffin, Clonard Gardens in the centre of West Belfast, and shot his two sons dead, retreating afterwards – apparently unobserved.
The dead are: Auxiliary-Cadet E Bolan, RIC; Auxiliary-Cadet John Bales, RIC; Patrick Duffin (28), Clonard Gardens; Daniel Duffin (24), Clonard Gardens.
The Clonard tragedy took place a short time before midnight and involved the death of two brothers.
The [police] patrol motor passed and there was a violent knocking at the hall door. The other members of the family heard a loud command – ‘Put up your hands.’
Simultaneously shots were heard. The party, so far as could be seen, numbered three men who wore trench coats.
After the party had left, a dog which had entered the house with them was observed in the hall whining to get out and yesterday morning a District Inspector called and took it away.
Patrick (28) was a National teacher and Daniel (24) was a clerk.
Dublin Execution
THOMAS Traynor, Dublin, the father of ten children, was executed at Mountjoy Prison yesterday morning.
He was sentenced by courtmartial to death in connection with the ambush of Auxiliary police at Great Brunswick Street last month.
Acquittal in Gilford Murder Trial
THE trial by courtmartial concluded in Victoria Barracks yesterday of five men charged with the murder of William McDowell of Gilford on the 3rd September last.
In the case of William McConville, a wages clerk at the firm of Dunbar McMaster & Co., evidence of character was given by a former manager of the firm.
He said the accused had handled large sums of money for years and was always an honest, hard-working man.
On the murder charge McConville had pleaded not guilty and was found not guilty and honourably acquitted.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The IRA killing of two Auxiliaries in the city centre triggered an immediate reprisal response from the RIC and Specials in West Belfast.
From Glenravel, Co Antrim, the Duffin family were immersed in Gaelic culture while Dan was a member of the local IRA.
The IRA blamed District Inspector Ferris (recently arrived from Cork) for the murders and seriously wounded him at St Paul’s Church a few weeks later.)
On This Day – 26th 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.