On This Day / May 11, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210511
Reference Date
19210511
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 11th May 1921, two RIC constables were killed in Donegal and their bodies thrown into the sea. James Craig rallied Unionists ahead of the crucial Partition election. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
RIC Men Murdered | On This Day – 11th May 1921
THE Press Association wires: Constables Clarke and Murdock were shot dead by rebels at Clonmany, County Donegal today.
It is stated the bodies were afterwards thrown into the sea and that the body of Clarke was subsequently recovered.
The latter, who was shot through the neck, was a native of Liverpool. Murdock was an Irishman.
Our Derry correspondent wires: Late this evening news reached Derry of a sensational shooting tragedy at Binion in the Clonmany district of Inishowen, resulting in the death of two constables.
The report was that the constables were attacked and fatally shot and that their bodies had been thrown into the sea.
On information of the tragic occurrence reaching Buncrana, a party of police under District Inspector Geelan hurried to the district.
The body of Constable Clarke was recovered but there was no trace of his comrade. Both men left Clonmany barracks yesterday evening for a walk.
Craig Rallies Unionism
AT A meeting in support of the Unionist candidates for South Belfast, held in the Ulster Hall last evening, Sir James Craig said he looked upon the [forthcoming] election as a plebiscite of the people of the whole of the Six Counties on the one great issue – who was for the Empire and who was for a Republic?
The proposal that he threw out was, after all, that de Valera should take this Act and work it, not for a political purpose but for the benefit of the people, and they in the North should take it and work it equally for the benefit of the people.
He added: ‘Hands off Ulster! … I will never bow the knee to treachery or allow a very whisper of Republic to enter my thoughts ‘
The Orange Grandmasters have issued a manifesto as follows: ‘Hither to on the shoulders of our representatives in the Imperial Parliament has rested the stress and strain of a protracted struggle against our submergence in a Dublin Parliament and under Sir Edward Carson’s leadership they have delivered us from such a calamity.
‘Now, however, the obligation rest upon every Loyalist to see that the victory so far won is not turned into a defeat at the polls. …
‘Our opponents have combined against us on the single issue of “No Partition”. Therefore, we must defeat that combination …’
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The War of Independence would continue relentlessly until the sudden arrival of the Truce in July.
James Craig found himself having to explain his recent meeting with de Valera in Dublin to suspicious Unionist backbenchers like William Twaddell.
Sinn Fein rejected the proposed southern parliament with contempt, as Lloyd George knew it would.)
On This Day – 11th May 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210511
Reference Date
19210511
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 11th May 1921, two RIC constables were killed in Donegal and their bodies thrown into the sea. James Craig rallied Unionists ahead of the crucial Partition election. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
RIC Men Murdered | On This Day – 11th May 1921
THE Press Association wires: Constables Clarke and Murdock were shot dead by rebels at Clonmany, County Donegal today.
It is stated the bodies were afterwards thrown into the sea and that the body of Clarke was subsequently recovered.
The latter, who was shot through the neck, was a native of Liverpool. Murdock was an Irishman.
Our Derry correspondent wires: Late this evening news reached Derry of a sensational shooting tragedy at Binion in the Clonmany district of Inishowen, resulting in the death of two constables.
The report was that the constables were attacked and fatally shot and that their bodies had been thrown into the sea.
On information of the tragic occurrence reaching Buncrana, a party of police under District Inspector Geelan hurried to the district.
The body of Constable Clarke was recovered but there was no trace of his comrade. Both men left Clonmany barracks yesterday evening for a walk.
Craig Rallies Unionism
AT A meeting in support of the Unionist candidates for South Belfast, held in the Ulster Hall last evening, Sir James Craig said he looked upon the [forthcoming] election as a plebiscite of the people of the whole of the Six Counties on the one great issue – who was for the Empire and who was for a Republic?
The proposal that he threw out was, after all, that de Valera should take this Act and work it, not for a political purpose but for the benefit of the people, and they in the North should take it and work it equally for the benefit of the people.
He added: ‘Hands off Ulster! … I will never bow the knee to treachery or allow a very whisper of Republic to enter my thoughts ‘
The Orange Grandmasters have issued a manifesto as follows: ‘Hither to on the shoulders of our representatives in the Imperial Parliament has rested the stress and strain of a protracted struggle against our submergence in a Dublin Parliament and under Sir Edward Carson’s leadership they have delivered us from such a calamity.
‘Now, however, the obligation rest upon every Loyalist to see that the victory so far won is not turned into a defeat at the polls. …
‘Our opponents have combined against us on the single issue of “No Partition”. Therefore, we must defeat that combination …’
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The War of Independence would continue relentlessly until the sudden arrival of the Truce in July.
James Craig found himself having to explain his recent meeting with de Valera in Dublin to suspicious Unionist backbenchers like William Twaddell.
Sinn Fein rejected the proposed southern parliament with contempt, as Lloyd George knew it would.)
On This Day – 11th May 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210511
Reference Date
May 11, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 11th May 1921, two RIC constables were killed in Donegal and their bodies thrown into the sea. James Craig rallied Unionists ahead of the crucial Partition election. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
RIC Men Murdered | On This Day – 11th May 1921
THE Press Association wires: Constables Clarke and Murdock were shot dead by rebels at Clonmany, County Donegal today.
It is stated the bodies were afterwards thrown into the sea and that the body of Clarke was subsequently recovered.
The latter, who was shot through the neck, was a native of Liverpool. Murdock was an Irishman.
Our Derry correspondent wires: Late this evening news reached Derry of a sensational shooting tragedy at Binion in the Clonmany district of Inishowen, resulting in the death of two constables.
The report was that the constables were attacked and fatally shot and that their bodies had been thrown into the sea.
On information of the tragic occurrence reaching Buncrana, a party of police under District Inspector Geelan hurried to the district.
The body of Constable Clarke was recovered but there was no trace of his comrade. Both men left Clonmany barracks yesterday evening for a walk.
Craig Rallies Unionism
AT A meeting in support of the Unionist candidates for South Belfast, held in the Ulster Hall last evening, Sir James Craig said he looked upon the [forthcoming] election as a plebiscite of the people of the whole of the Six Counties on the one great issue – who was for the Empire and who was for a Republic?
The proposal that he threw out was, after all, that de Valera should take this Act and work it, not for a political purpose but for the benefit of the people, and they in the North should take it and work it equally for the benefit of the people.
He added: ‘Hands off Ulster! … I will never bow the knee to treachery or allow a very whisper of Republic to enter my thoughts ‘
The Orange Grandmasters have issued a manifesto as follows: ‘Hither to on the shoulders of our representatives in the Imperial Parliament has rested the stress and strain of a protracted struggle against our submergence in a Dublin Parliament and under Sir Edward Carson’s leadership they have delivered us from such a calamity.
‘Now, however, the obligation rest upon every Loyalist to see that the victory so far won is not turned into a defeat at the polls. …
‘Our opponents have combined against us on the single issue of “No Partition”. Therefore, we must defeat that combination …’
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The War of Independence would continue relentlessly until the sudden arrival of the Truce in July.
James Craig found himself having to explain his recent meeting with de Valera in Dublin to suspicious Unionist backbenchers like William Twaddell.
Sinn Fein rejected the proposed southern parliament with contempt, as Lloyd George knew it would.)
On This Day – 11th May 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.