On This Day / October 13, 1920
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19201013
Reference Date
19201013
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 13th October 1920, Major G O S Smyth was killed in a Dublin raid linked to Michael Collins’ Squad, while an inspector branded hostile to Irish teaching was kidnapped in Monaghan. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Northern Officer Killed | On This Day – 13th October 1920
A desperate affray resulting in the deaths of two military officers and the wounding of a civilian occurred in Dublin in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The tragic affair took place at the residence of Professor John Carolan at Upper Drumcondra Road where the military had gone to arrest two young men.
One of the victims was Major G O S Smyth, DSO, MC, a brother of the late Commissioner Smyth who was shot dead in the County Club, Cork on July 17.
The wounded civilian is Professor Carolan, a member of the staff of St Patrick’s Training College, Drumcondra who was shot in the neck.
In an interview, Mrs Carolan described the terrible happenings as far as she knew them.
About 1am a large force of military gained admittance to the house and demanded: ‘We want Mulcahy [a reference to Richard Mulcahy, a Sinn Fein TD].’
When Mrs Carolan replied that Mr Mulcahy did not reside there at present, they replied that they would search the house.
Mrs Carolan was accompanying them upstairs when suddenly several shots rang out.
[Editor’s note: Born in 1890 and educated at Campbell College, Belfast, George Osbert Smyth had, like his murdered brother, a distinguished war record and had been transferred to Egypt by 1920.
Gerald’s assassination had greatly affected him, so much so that on learning that intelligence officers were being recruited in Egypt for service in Ireland, he volunteered.
The so-called ‘Cairo Gang’s’ mission was to track down and assassinate Michael Collins and his notorious ‘Squad’.]
Kidnapped Schools Inspector ‘Hostile to Gaelic’
While Inspector Weatheruff, BL of the National Education Board was carrying out an inspection of the pupils in Magoney National School near Inniskeen, County Monaghan yesterday, armed but unmasked men entered the schoolroom and forcibly removed the inspector to an unknown destination.
The only motive locally assigned for the raid is the alleged hostility of Mr Weatherupp towards the teaching of the Irish language and history.
The inspector was reportedly driven outside the borders of County Monaghan and ordered not to return.
Antrim Barracks Burned
Loughguile police barracks was burned to the ground on Monday night. It was fired some months ago and partially destroyed.
On This Day – 13th October 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201013
Reference Date
19201013
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 13th October 1920, Major G O S Smyth was killed in a Dublin raid linked to Michael Collins’ Squad, while an inspector branded hostile to Irish teaching was kidnapped in Monaghan. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Northern Officer Killed | On This Day – 13th October 1920
A desperate affray resulting in the deaths of two military officers and the wounding of a civilian occurred in Dublin in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The tragic affair took place at the residence of Professor John Carolan at Upper Drumcondra Road where the military had gone to arrest two young men.
One of the victims was Major G O S Smyth, DSO, MC, a brother of the late Commissioner Smyth who was shot dead in the County Club, Cork on July 17.
The wounded civilian is Professor Carolan, a member of the staff of St Patrick’s Training College, Drumcondra who was shot in the neck.
In an interview, Mrs Carolan described the terrible happenings as far as she knew them.
About 1am a large force of military gained admittance to the house and demanded: ‘We want Mulcahy [a reference to Richard Mulcahy, a Sinn Fein TD].’
When Mrs Carolan replied that Mr Mulcahy did not reside there at present, they replied that they would search the house.
Mrs Carolan was accompanying them upstairs when suddenly several shots rang out.
[Editor’s note: Born in 1890 and educated at Campbell College, Belfast, George Osbert Smyth had, like his murdered brother, a distinguished war record and had been transferred to Egypt by 1920.
Gerald’s assassination had greatly affected him, so much so that on learning that intelligence officers were being recruited in Egypt for service in Ireland, he volunteered.
The so-called ‘Cairo Gang’s’ mission was to track down and assassinate Michael Collins and his notorious ‘Squad’.]
Kidnapped Schools Inspector ‘Hostile to Gaelic’
While Inspector Weatheruff, BL of the National Education Board was carrying out an inspection of the pupils in Magoney National School near Inniskeen, County Monaghan yesterday, armed but unmasked men entered the schoolroom and forcibly removed the inspector to an unknown destination.
The only motive locally assigned for the raid is the alleged hostility of Mr Weatherupp towards the teaching of the Irish language and history.
The inspector was reportedly driven outside the borders of County Monaghan and ordered not to return.
Antrim Barracks Burned
Loughguile police barracks was burned to the ground on Monday night. It was fired some months ago and partially destroyed.
On This Day – 13th October 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201013
Reference Date
October 13, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 13th October 1920, Major G O S Smyth was killed in a Dublin raid linked to Michael Collins’ Squad, while an inspector branded hostile to Irish teaching was kidnapped in Monaghan. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Northern Officer Killed | On This Day – 13th October 1920
A desperate affray resulting in the deaths of two military officers and the wounding of a civilian occurred in Dublin in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The tragic affair took place at the residence of Professor John Carolan at Upper Drumcondra Road where the military had gone to arrest two young men.
One of the victims was Major G O S Smyth, DSO, MC, a brother of the late Commissioner Smyth who was shot dead in the County Club, Cork on July 17.
The wounded civilian is Professor Carolan, a member of the staff of St Patrick’s Training College, Drumcondra who was shot in the neck.
In an interview, Mrs Carolan described the terrible happenings as far as she knew them.
About 1am a large force of military gained admittance to the house and demanded: ‘We want Mulcahy [a reference to Richard Mulcahy, a Sinn Fein TD].’
When Mrs Carolan replied that Mr Mulcahy did not reside there at present, they replied that they would search the house.
Mrs Carolan was accompanying them upstairs when suddenly several shots rang out.
[Editor’s note: Born in 1890 and educated at Campbell College, Belfast, George Osbert Smyth had, like his murdered brother, a distinguished war record and had been transferred to Egypt by 1920.
Gerald’s assassination had greatly affected him, so much so that on learning that intelligence officers were being recruited in Egypt for service in Ireland, he volunteered.
The so-called ‘Cairo Gang’s’ mission was to track down and assassinate Michael Collins and his notorious ‘Squad’.]
Kidnapped Schools Inspector ‘Hostile to Gaelic’
While Inspector Weatheruff, BL of the National Education Board was carrying out an inspection of the pupils in Magoney National School near Inniskeen, County Monaghan yesterday, armed but unmasked men entered the schoolroom and forcibly removed the inspector to an unknown destination.
The only motive locally assigned for the raid is the alleged hostility of Mr Weatherupp towards the teaching of the Irish language and history.
The inspector was reportedly driven outside the borders of County Monaghan and ordered not to return.
Antrim Barracks Burned
Loughguile police barracks was burned to the ground on Monday night. It was fired some months ago and partially destroyed.
On This Day – 13th October 1920
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.