On This Day / April 20, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210420
Reference Date
19210420
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 20th April 1921, a woman was ‘executed’ by the IRA in Monaghan, a fatal shooting error occurred in Limerick, and Northern Nationalists mobilised against Partition. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
IRA ‘Executes’ Woman | On This Day – 20th April 1921
OUR Monaghan correspondent writes: ‘Another appalling tragedy has taken place in County Monaghan – this time in the village of Scotstown where an unmarried woman named Kate Carroll, aged about forty, was done to death in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The deceased resided in the townland of Aughnamena with her aged mother and a brother.
It seems that at an early hour on Sunday morning the house was visited by a party of armed and masked men who demanded admission.
Her hands were tied behind her back and she was forcibly taken from the house.
Later on, she was found lying dead by a neighbour; she had sustained a bullet wound to the neck.
A label was found attached to the deceased’s clothing bearing the words: ‘Tried, convicted and executed by the IRA.’
Dublin Castle states: ‘It seems that recently Miss Kate Carroll wrote anonymous letters to the police with regard to illicit drink traffic.
“These letters were captured by the IRA when the local postman was recently robbed of the mails.’
Tragedy in Co Limerick
A SENSATIONAL shooting affray of a highly dramatic nature is reported from Castleconnell, near Limerick.
It appears a mistake was made by Crown forces – a party of Auxiliaries and a party of plainclothes police – each thinking that the other were Sinn Feiners.
Two of the policemen were shot dead on the spot and a third died from wounds.
Mr Denis O’Donovan, the proprietor of the hotel, was also shot dead.
It appears that Mr O’Donovan was accused by the Auxiliaries of harbouring rebels and taken out into the yard and shot, dying in ten minutes.
The Auxiliaries apologised to Mrs O’Donovan when the mistake was discovered.
To Save North East Ulster
THE Nationalist forces in Belfast are being marshalled in a quiet and unostentatious but very practical manner, for the coming electoral battle against Partition.
The national organisations, including the United Irish League and Ancient Order of Hibernians have got to work…
Yesterday a deputation waited upon Mr T J Campbell, MA, KC to ask him to allow his name to be put forward as the Nationalist Anti-Partition candidate for East Belfast.
Mr Campbell replied they would fight the election to a finish. They would stand for the union of all Ireland.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: AS THE war moved inexorably towards its conclusion with the Truce in July 1921, the Northern Nationalists prepared to fight the ‘Partition Election’.
Devlin described his efforts to rally his supporters as ‘heart-breaking’ with little enthusiasm.
Thomas J Campbell (1871-1946), a Belfast barrister and former Irish News editor long resident in Dublin, would become a later Nationalist MP.)
On This Day – 20th April 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210420
Reference Date
19210420
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 20th April 1921, a woman was ‘executed’ by the IRA in Monaghan, a fatal shooting error occurred in Limerick, and Northern Nationalists mobilised against Partition. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
IRA ‘Executes’ Woman | On This Day – 20th April 1921
OUR Monaghan correspondent writes: ‘Another appalling tragedy has taken place in County Monaghan – this time in the village of Scotstown where an unmarried woman named Kate Carroll, aged about forty, was done to death in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The deceased resided in the townland of Aughnamena with her aged mother and a brother.
It seems that at an early hour on Sunday morning the house was visited by a party of armed and masked men who demanded admission.
Her hands were tied behind her back and she was forcibly taken from the house.
Later on, she was found lying dead by a neighbour; she had sustained a bullet wound to the neck.
A label was found attached to the deceased’s clothing bearing the words: ‘Tried, convicted and executed by the IRA.’
Dublin Castle states: ‘It seems that recently Miss Kate Carroll wrote anonymous letters to the police with regard to illicit drink traffic.
“These letters were captured by the IRA when the local postman was recently robbed of the mails.’
Tragedy in Co Limerick
A SENSATIONAL shooting affray of a highly dramatic nature is reported from Castleconnell, near Limerick.
It appears a mistake was made by Crown forces – a party of Auxiliaries and a party of plainclothes police – each thinking that the other were Sinn Feiners.
Two of the policemen were shot dead on the spot and a third died from wounds.
Mr Denis O’Donovan, the proprietor of the hotel, was also shot dead.
It appears that Mr O’Donovan was accused by the Auxiliaries of harbouring rebels and taken out into the yard and shot, dying in ten minutes.
The Auxiliaries apologised to Mrs O’Donovan when the mistake was discovered.
To Save North East Ulster
THE Nationalist forces in Belfast are being marshalled in a quiet and unostentatious but very practical manner, for the coming electoral battle against Partition.
The national organisations, including the United Irish League and Ancient Order of Hibernians have got to work…
Yesterday a deputation waited upon Mr T J Campbell, MA, KC to ask him to allow his name to be put forward as the Nationalist Anti-Partition candidate for East Belfast.
Mr Campbell replied they would fight the election to a finish. They would stand for the union of all Ireland.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: AS THE war moved inexorably towards its conclusion with the Truce in July 1921, the Northern Nationalists prepared to fight the ‘Partition Election’.
Devlin described his efforts to rally his supporters as ‘heart-breaking’ with little enthusiasm.
Thomas J Campbell (1871-1946), a Belfast barrister and former Irish News editor long resident in Dublin, would become a later Nationalist MP.)
On This Day – 20th April 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210420
Reference Date
April 20, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 20th April 1921, a woman was ‘executed’ by the IRA in Monaghan, a fatal shooting error occurred in Limerick, and Northern Nationalists mobilised against Partition. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
IRA ‘Executes’ Woman | On This Day – 20th April 1921
OUR Monaghan correspondent writes: ‘Another appalling tragedy has taken place in County Monaghan – this time in the village of Scotstown where an unmarried woman named Kate Carroll, aged about forty, was done to death in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The deceased resided in the townland of Aughnamena with her aged mother and a brother.
It seems that at an early hour on Sunday morning the house was visited by a party of armed and masked men who demanded admission.
Her hands were tied behind her back and she was forcibly taken from the house.
Later on, she was found lying dead by a neighbour; she had sustained a bullet wound to the neck.
A label was found attached to the deceased’s clothing bearing the words: ‘Tried, convicted and executed by the IRA.’
Dublin Castle states: ‘It seems that recently Miss Kate Carroll wrote anonymous letters to the police with regard to illicit drink traffic.
“These letters were captured by the IRA when the local postman was recently robbed of the mails.’
Tragedy in Co Limerick
A SENSATIONAL shooting affray of a highly dramatic nature is reported from Castleconnell, near Limerick.
It appears a mistake was made by Crown forces – a party of Auxiliaries and a party of plainclothes police – each thinking that the other were Sinn Feiners.
Two of the policemen were shot dead on the spot and a third died from wounds.
Mr Denis O’Donovan, the proprietor of the hotel, was also shot dead.
It appears that Mr O’Donovan was accused by the Auxiliaries of harbouring rebels and taken out into the yard and shot, dying in ten minutes.
The Auxiliaries apologised to Mrs O’Donovan when the mistake was discovered.
To Save North East Ulster
THE Nationalist forces in Belfast are being marshalled in a quiet and unostentatious but very practical manner, for the coming electoral battle against Partition.
The national organisations, including the United Irish League and Ancient Order of Hibernians have got to work…
Yesterday a deputation waited upon Mr T J Campbell, MA, KC to ask him to allow his name to be put forward as the Nationalist Anti-Partition candidate for East Belfast.
Mr Campbell replied they would fight the election to a finish. They would stand for the union of all Ireland.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: AS THE war moved inexorably towards its conclusion with the Truce in July 1921, the Northern Nationalists prepared to fight the ‘Partition Election’.
Devlin described his efforts to rally his supporters as ‘heart-breaking’ with little enthusiasm.
Thomas J Campbell (1871-1946), a Belfast barrister and former Irish News editor long resident in Dublin, would become a later Nationalist MP.)
On This Day – 20th April 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.