On This Day / May 18, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210518
Reference Date
19210518
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 18th May 1921, four people were killed leaving a tennis party in Galway while violence and shootings intensified across Tyrone, Belfast and Cork. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Tennis Party Tragedy | On This Day – 18th May 1921
CAPTAIN and District Inspector C Eaton Blake of the RIC, who had been stationed at Gort (County Galway]; Mrs Blake, his young wife; Captain Cornwallis of the 17th Lancers and Lieutenant McCreery of the same regiment (19) met their deaths under circumstances of distressing tragedy when leaving a tennis party at Ballyturn House on Sunday evening.
Earlier the party, accompanied by Mr Gregory of Coole Park, travelled to Ballyturn House in the private car of Captain Blake and having spent a pleasant afternoon, they left for home.
When the motor arrived at the front gate of the avenue it was found to be closed.
Not suspecting anything, Captain Cornwallis got out to open it. Shots then rang out form the shrubbery and he fell dead.
At this point the little party was surrounded by armed and disguised men and the two ladies were ordered to leave.
Mrs Blake called out that she would never leave her husband and would die by his side.
Mrs Gregory was ordered away and further shots rang out with the result that all four of her companions lay dead.
The district inspector and his wife were found lying side by side.
Fatal Ambush in Tyrone
ONE man was shot dead and one Special wounded and a civilian captured during an ambush at Eskra, County Tyrone on Saturday.
It appeared that a patrol was passing near Irvinestown crossroads when a bomb was thrown, fire being opened at the same time to which the police replied.
The attackers fled and the dead body of a man was subsequently found.
Special Constable Madill, a native of Drum, County Monaghan, was slightly wounded.
Shots in Belfast
A SHOOTING affair took place in North Queen Street in Belfast last night, the victim being a little girl named Mary Anne Carr (13) of Camtall Street.
The occurrence was witnessed by a large number of people who were returning from Sinn Fein meetings and whose passage attracted the attention of the opposing sections in Upper Henry Street from where the shots were fired. The little girl was wounded in the head.
Another Execution in Cork
DANIEL O’Brien of Liscarroll, County Cork, who was tried by drumhead courtmartial in Cork on Saturday, was executed yesterday morning for the illegal possession of arms.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THIS last phase of the War of Independence was marked by a massive upsurge of violence, north and south.
The ‘Partition’ election campaign witnessed sniping and sectarian mob assaults, particularly in north and east Belfast.
At this point the British cabinet was faced with a grim choice between increased repression and a move towards a truce.
On This Day – 18th May 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210518
Reference Date
19210518
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 18th May 1921, four people were killed leaving a tennis party in Galway while violence and shootings intensified across Tyrone, Belfast and Cork. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Tennis Party Tragedy | On This Day – 18th May 1921
CAPTAIN and District Inspector C Eaton Blake of the RIC, who had been stationed at Gort (County Galway]; Mrs Blake, his young wife; Captain Cornwallis of the 17th Lancers and Lieutenant McCreery of the same regiment (19) met their deaths under circumstances of distressing tragedy when leaving a tennis party at Ballyturn House on Sunday evening.
Earlier the party, accompanied by Mr Gregory of Coole Park, travelled to Ballyturn House in the private car of Captain Blake and having spent a pleasant afternoon, they left for home.
When the motor arrived at the front gate of the avenue it was found to be closed.
Not suspecting anything, Captain Cornwallis got out to open it. Shots then rang out form the shrubbery and he fell dead.
At this point the little party was surrounded by armed and disguised men and the two ladies were ordered to leave.
Mrs Blake called out that she would never leave her husband and would die by his side.
Mrs Gregory was ordered away and further shots rang out with the result that all four of her companions lay dead.
The district inspector and his wife were found lying side by side.
Fatal Ambush in Tyrone
ONE man was shot dead and one Special wounded and a civilian captured during an ambush at Eskra, County Tyrone on Saturday.
It appeared that a patrol was passing near Irvinestown crossroads when a bomb was thrown, fire being opened at the same time to which the police replied.
The attackers fled and the dead body of a man was subsequently found.
Special Constable Madill, a native of Drum, County Monaghan, was slightly wounded.
Shots in Belfast
A SHOOTING affair took place in North Queen Street in Belfast last night, the victim being a little girl named Mary Anne Carr (13) of Camtall Street.
The occurrence was witnessed by a large number of people who were returning from Sinn Fein meetings and whose passage attracted the attention of the opposing sections in Upper Henry Street from where the shots were fired. The little girl was wounded in the head.
Another Execution in Cork
DANIEL O’Brien of Liscarroll, County Cork, who was tried by drumhead courtmartial in Cork on Saturday, was executed yesterday morning for the illegal possession of arms.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THIS last phase of the War of Independence was marked by a massive upsurge of violence, north and south.
The ‘Partition’ election campaign witnessed sniping and sectarian mob assaults, particularly in north and east Belfast.
At this point the British cabinet was faced with a grim choice between increased repression and a move towards a truce.
On This Day – 18th May 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210518
Reference Date
May 18, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 18th May 1921, four people were killed leaving a tennis party in Galway while violence and shootings intensified across Tyrone, Belfast and Cork. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Tennis Party Tragedy | On This Day – 18th May 1921
CAPTAIN and District Inspector C Eaton Blake of the RIC, who had been stationed at Gort (County Galway]; Mrs Blake, his young wife; Captain Cornwallis of the 17th Lancers and Lieutenant McCreery of the same regiment (19) met their deaths under circumstances of distressing tragedy when leaving a tennis party at Ballyturn House on Sunday evening.
Earlier the party, accompanied by Mr Gregory of Coole Park, travelled to Ballyturn House in the private car of Captain Blake and having spent a pleasant afternoon, they left for home.
When the motor arrived at the front gate of the avenue it was found to be closed.
Not suspecting anything, Captain Cornwallis got out to open it. Shots then rang out form the shrubbery and he fell dead.
At this point the little party was surrounded by armed and disguised men and the two ladies were ordered to leave.
Mrs Blake called out that she would never leave her husband and would die by his side.
Mrs Gregory was ordered away and further shots rang out with the result that all four of her companions lay dead.
The district inspector and his wife were found lying side by side.
Fatal Ambush in Tyrone
ONE man was shot dead and one Special wounded and a civilian captured during an ambush at Eskra, County Tyrone on Saturday.
It appeared that a patrol was passing near Irvinestown crossroads when a bomb was thrown, fire being opened at the same time to which the police replied.
The attackers fled and the dead body of a man was subsequently found.
Special Constable Madill, a native of Drum, County Monaghan, was slightly wounded.
Shots in Belfast
A SHOOTING affair took place in North Queen Street in Belfast last night, the victim being a little girl named Mary Anne Carr (13) of Camtall Street.
The occurrence was witnessed by a large number of people who were returning from Sinn Fein meetings and whose passage attracted the attention of the opposing sections in Upper Henry Street from where the shots were fired. The little girl was wounded in the head.
Another Execution in Cork
DANIEL O’Brien of Liscarroll, County Cork, who was tried by drumhead courtmartial in Cork on Saturday, was executed yesterday morning for the illegal possession of arms.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THIS last phase of the War of Independence was marked by a massive upsurge of violence, north and south.
The ‘Partition’ election campaign witnessed sniping and sectarian mob assaults, particularly in north and east Belfast.
At this point the British cabinet was faced with a grim choice between increased repression and a move towards a truce.
On This Day – 18th 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.