On This Day / June 25, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
June 25, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 25th June 1921, an IRA attack derailed a royal troop train at Adavoyle, killing soldiers, horses and the train guard. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Troop Train Derailed | On This Day – 25th June 1921
ONE of the most extraordinary and truly sensational episodes of the past year of strange happenings in Ireland occurred about 10.30 a.m. yesterday close to the Great Northern Railway Station at Adavoyle (‘The Gap of the North’).
A troop train travelling from Belfast to Dublin was derailed; several soldiers and about sixty horses were killed – three soldiers, it seems, and the Guard of the train.
Some of the soldiers were brought to Belfast and taken to the Military Hospital. It is said that some civilians were shot by the troops.
It appears that three special trains were engaged to transport the 10th Hussars (‘The Prince of Wales’s Own’) from Belfast where they acted as bodyguard for the King to Dublin.
Two of the [trains] appear to have got through safely but the third came to grief at Adavoyle.
At the interval between the passing of the second and the third train – a matter of minutes – one of the rails of the lines was removed and two landmines were placed on the permanent way.
The third special [train] ran into the mines and immediately there was a terrible explosion, followed by a crash.
Eighteen waggons containing horses toppled into a field and were smashed to pieces.
It is reported that earlier in the morning armed rebels imprisoned a number of men working on the line and, taking their tools, rapidly removed a section of the line and laid down mines.
It appears that signals and fires at various points in the adjoining mountains [were set off] for the purpose of heralding the exact position of the train to those responsible for exploding the mine.
As soon as the disaster occurred the soldiers jumped out and took up positions to repel any attack.
Crown forces from Newry, Dundalk and Armagh were early on the scene. Immediately after the disaster a man named Patrick McAteer of Faughilotra who was engaged in pulling thistles in a field, was shot, it being alleged that he refused to halt.
A special train was despatched at 2.30 from Belfast with a staff of doctors and nurses from the local military and general hospitals.
Four veterinary surgeons accompanied the party. The Guard on the train was the late Mr Frank Gallagher [Belfast]. He leaves a wife and five children.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THE spectacular attack on the royal troop train, containing the king’s personal bodyguard at the opening of the Belfast parliament, was the work of the IRA’s 4th Northern Division under its South Armagh-born commandant, Frank Aiken.
This was the IRA’s response to partition. George V expressed his horror at ‘the brutal outrage’ against his troops.)
On This Day – 25th 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.