On This Day / June 1, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210601
Reference Date
19210601
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 1st June 1921, two Specials were killed in Fermanagh while Britain prepared sterner repression measures as violence escalated across Ireland. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Two Specials Killed | On This Day – 1st June 1921
FURTHER details of the ambush on Sunday morning of a patrol of B Specials at Mullaghfad [Co Fermanagh], a mountainous district bordering Tyrone, Fermanagh and Monaghan, go to show that the three men were standing at Mullaghfad Cross when they were fired on from behind a hedge by a body of men.
Constable Coulter was struck in the head and death was instantaneous. Constable Hall was shot in the stomach and legs, succumbing half an hour later. A third Special was wounded.
Hordes of police and B Specials subsequently scoured the district and arrested Frank Lowry, John Morgan and Frank Murphy.
The outrage was condemned in all the churches on Sunday.
News of the ambush was immediately conveyed to Sir Basil Brooke, County Commandant [Ulster Special Constabulary] and to Fivemiletown police barracks.
Sentenced to Death
SENTENCES in the following cases were promulgated by the Military General Headquarters yesterday: William Mitchell, Constable, RIC, charged with the murder of Robert Dixon and Edmond Foley and Patrick Maher, charged with the murder of Sergeant Peter Wallace, RIC [in an IRA attack on a train] at Knocklong [County Limerick] in May 1919, were found guilty and sentenced to death.
Prisoners Shot while ‘Attempting to Escape’
TWO civilian prisoners were shot dead yesterday afternoon at Tipperary Military Barracks.
The official report states they were shot whilst attempting to escape.
Meanwhile, John O’Connell, president of the Queenstown Football and Hurling Club [County Cork] was shot dead on the street.
He was in the company of a postman when it is alleged O’Connell was stopped by a military officer in mufti.
Almost immediately a shot was fired and O’Connell fell dead.
Sterner Measures
Now that the Irish elections are over the Government has decided to inaugurate a new and, in their own phrase, ‘more drastic’ regime of repression in Ireland.
The Press Association understands the Government are determined to introduce sterner measures and this may involve an extension of the Martial Law area.
One of the steps to be taken would be the despatch of reinforcements to the Crown Forces.
The proposed measures to be introduced will be considered if the Sinn Feiners refuse to work the Government of Ireland Act in the South.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: By June 1921, the British Cabinet was faced with a stark choice between even sterner repression in Ireland involving 200,000 troops and ‘Boer War tactics’, and serious moves towards negotiations.
Warned by General Macready – the Irish GOC – that military rule (known as Crown Colony Government) would totally alienate British liberal and American opinion, Lloyd George looked to the copper-fastening of Partition as the gateway to a peace initiative.)
On This Day – 1st June 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210601
Reference Date
19210601
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 1st June 1921, two Specials were killed in Fermanagh while Britain prepared sterner repression measures as violence escalated across Ireland. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Two Specials Killed | On This Day – 1st June 1921
FURTHER details of the ambush on Sunday morning of a patrol of B Specials at Mullaghfad [Co Fermanagh], a mountainous district bordering Tyrone, Fermanagh and Monaghan, go to show that the three men were standing at Mullaghfad Cross when they were fired on from behind a hedge by a body of men.
Constable Coulter was struck in the head and death was instantaneous. Constable Hall was shot in the stomach and legs, succumbing half an hour later. A third Special was wounded.
Hordes of police and B Specials subsequently scoured the district and arrested Frank Lowry, John Morgan and Frank Murphy.
The outrage was condemned in all the churches on Sunday.
News of the ambush was immediately conveyed to Sir Basil Brooke, County Commandant [Ulster Special Constabulary] and to Fivemiletown police barracks.
Sentenced to Death
SENTENCES in the following cases were promulgated by the Military General Headquarters yesterday: William Mitchell, Constable, RIC, charged with the murder of Robert Dixon and Edmond Foley and Patrick Maher, charged with the murder of Sergeant Peter Wallace, RIC [in an IRA attack on a train] at Knocklong [County Limerick] in May 1919, were found guilty and sentenced to death.
Prisoners Shot while ‘Attempting to Escape’
TWO civilian prisoners were shot dead yesterday afternoon at Tipperary Military Barracks.
The official report states they were shot whilst attempting to escape.
Meanwhile, John O’Connell, president of the Queenstown Football and Hurling Club [County Cork] was shot dead on the street.
He was in the company of a postman when it is alleged O’Connell was stopped by a military officer in mufti.
Almost immediately a shot was fired and O’Connell fell dead.
Sterner Measures
Now that the Irish elections are over the Government has decided to inaugurate a new and, in their own phrase, ‘more drastic’ regime of repression in Ireland.
The Press Association understands the Government are determined to introduce sterner measures and this may involve an extension of the Martial Law area.
One of the steps to be taken would be the despatch of reinforcements to the Crown Forces.
The proposed measures to be introduced will be considered if the Sinn Feiners refuse to work the Government of Ireland Act in the South.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: By June 1921, the British Cabinet was faced with a stark choice between even sterner repression in Ireland involving 200,000 troops and ‘Boer War tactics’, and serious moves towards negotiations.
Warned by General Macready – the Irish GOC – that military rule (known as Crown Colony Government) would totally alienate British liberal and American opinion, Lloyd George looked to the copper-fastening of Partition as the gateway to a peace initiative.)
On This Day – 1st June 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210601
Reference Date
June 1, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 1st June 1921, two Specials were killed in Fermanagh while Britain prepared sterner repression measures as violence escalated across Ireland. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Two Specials Killed | On This Day – 1st June 1921
FURTHER details of the ambush on Sunday morning of a patrol of B Specials at Mullaghfad [Co Fermanagh], a mountainous district bordering Tyrone, Fermanagh and Monaghan, go to show that the three men were standing at Mullaghfad Cross when they were fired on from behind a hedge by a body of men.
Constable Coulter was struck in the head and death was instantaneous. Constable Hall was shot in the stomach and legs, succumbing half an hour later. A third Special was wounded.
Hordes of police and B Specials subsequently scoured the district and arrested Frank Lowry, John Morgan and Frank Murphy.
The outrage was condemned in all the churches on Sunday.
News of the ambush was immediately conveyed to Sir Basil Brooke, County Commandant [Ulster Special Constabulary] and to Fivemiletown police barracks.
Sentenced to Death
SENTENCES in the following cases were promulgated by the Military General Headquarters yesterday: William Mitchell, Constable, RIC, charged with the murder of Robert Dixon and Edmond Foley and Patrick Maher, charged with the murder of Sergeant Peter Wallace, RIC [in an IRA attack on a train] at Knocklong [County Limerick] in May 1919, were found guilty and sentenced to death.
Prisoners Shot while ‘Attempting to Escape’
TWO civilian prisoners were shot dead yesterday afternoon at Tipperary Military Barracks.
The official report states they were shot whilst attempting to escape.
Meanwhile, John O’Connell, president of the Queenstown Football and Hurling Club [County Cork] was shot dead on the street.
He was in the company of a postman when it is alleged O’Connell was stopped by a military officer in mufti.
Almost immediately a shot was fired and O’Connell fell dead.
Sterner Measures
Now that the Irish elections are over the Government has decided to inaugurate a new and, in their own phrase, ‘more drastic’ regime of repression in Ireland.
The Press Association understands the Government are determined to introduce sterner measures and this may involve an extension of the Martial Law area.
One of the steps to be taken would be the despatch of reinforcements to the Crown Forces.
The proposed measures to be introduced will be considered if the Sinn Feiners refuse to work the Government of Ireland Act in the South.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: By June 1921, the British Cabinet was faced with a stark choice between even sterner repression in Ireland involving 200,000 troops and ‘Boer War tactics’, and serious moves towards negotiations.
Warned by General Macready – the Irish GOC – that military rule (known as Crown Colony Government) would totally alienate British liberal and American opinion, Lloyd George looked to the copper-fastening of Partition as the gateway to a peace initiative.)
On This Day – 1st June 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.