On This Day / September 24, 1920

Summary: On This Day – 24th September 1920, fierce fighting at Miltown-Malbay left four RIC dead and sparked brutal reprisals across Clare; RM Alan Lendrum went missing; and Senator Harding dismissed Irish self-determination. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.

Reprisals follow attack on RIC

Dublin Castle issued a further report last night on the fighting at Miltown-Malbay [Co Clare].

This contains allegations by the police that they were fired upon with dum-dum bullets and that some of them who were wounded were afterward murdered on the road.

Four policemen were killed, one picked up dying and one (who was missing) has since been found dead.

Leaving their ambush, the attacking party secured the police firearms and were making off with them when armed military with a machine-gun arrived on the scene.

The machine-gun was brought into operation and in the exchange of fire one soldier was shot dead.

It is not known if there were any casualties among the attacking party.

The policemen shot dead are Constables Hartnett, Hardman, Kelly and Maguire.

There was a terrible sequel to the attack on Wednesday night when reprisals were made on the villages of Miltown, Lahinch and Ennistymon in Co Clare.

The villages were visited by large parties of armed, uniformed men who, by firing buildings and looting, did damage estimated at thousands of pounds.

During the act of reprisals at Ennistymon two young men named Connole and Linnane were shot dead and it is alleged that Connole’s body was thrown into the fire of his burning house. One of his children is missing.

Clare Missing RM Presumed Dead

A message received at Dublin Castle states that Captain Lendrum, Resident Magistrate, Kilrush, Co Clare is missing and is believed murdered.

[Editor’s note: The murdered RM, Captain Lendrum was a member of a landed family from Trillick, Co Tyrone.]

Cowardly Act in Tyrone

While on her way from a shop in Trillick to her home in the townland of Keenogue [Co Tyrone], a short distance from the village, a young girl named Eileen McAloone (11) was accosted by some men who cut off her hair.

The little girl is a member of a highly respected family. It will be remembered that a priest was recently shot at in the same district.

Ireland Not America’s Business – Harding

Senator Warren Harding, the US Republican presidential candidate, has declared that the Irish problem was not a question for official America, adding that America had already muddled enough abroad without invitation.

[Editor’s note: It was clear that despite the efforts of de Valera and Irish-America, neither of the US political parties was prepared to support Irish self-determination in the 1920 presidential election.]

Further Reading:

List of other On This Day columns

Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive