On This Day / September 11, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
September 11, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 11th September 1921, a man faced an attempted shooting charge following an incident involving a Coalisland pipe band, while two Special Constables were charged after an attack on licensed premises. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Coalisland Shooting Charge | On This Day – 11th September 1921
A SPECIAL court was held in Dungannon on Wednesday before Mr Robert Newton, JP at which District Inspector Walshe charged Robert Marshall of Derry Green, Coalisland with attempting to shoot Francis McNally, Derrytresk, a member of Annaghaboe Pipe Band which was returning from a hospital fete at Donaghmore on 15th August.
Francis McNally, Coalisland stated he saw accused and another man coming towards the band. Accused presented a revolver at witness, first at his head and afterwards at his body.
Marshall used some expressions and witness heard the revolver clicking twice but it did not go off. Witness, for the safety of the band and himself, hit the accused with a pike which he was carrying and knocked him down.
Witness struck Marshall on the head and body with the pike several times. Some other member of the band took the revolver from the accused.
Mr Byers (defending) said that, although the indiscriminate use of firearms was to be condemned, he would point out that there was nothing very serious in it.
[Opposing bail] District Inspector Walshe said the incident might not appear very serious but immediately after it happened a man was murdered. Bitter feeling had been aroused in Coalisland.
Specials Charged after Attack
TWO Special Constables, recently stationed at Kilrea [County Derry], Alex McCloud and William Shaw, and a civilian, Daniel Morrison, were charged at a special court in Dungiven with having, on 1st September 1921, at Derrychier, broken a window and, by menaces and threats, demanded entrance to the licensed premises of John Bernard Mullan and demanded and received intoxicating liquor by menaces without payment.
District Inspector Pirn, prosecuting, stated that Shaw, when arrested, said he was on patrol on 31st August. About eleven o’clock McCloud asked him to go out for a drink.
They proceeded to Garvagh and called at Mullan’s house. ‘I said for a joke that I would have a glass of brandy. I had two or three of these.’
Bernard Mullan said that at two o’clock in the morning on 1st September he heard a motorcar stop in front of his house. There was a knock at the door.
Four shots were fired outside. He opened the door and brought in three men. McCloud and Morrison had revolvers.
‘They put the revolvers on the counter while I supplied them with the drink they called. ‘The Bench returned accused for trial, admitting them to bail.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: While Belfast remained the epicentre of sectarian and political violence, sectarian incidents, often involving the ill-disciplined USC, were widely reported in rural areas where Catholic-owned public houses were a particular target.)
On This Day – 11th September 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.