On This Day / August 26, 1920

Mobs in East Belfast

Yesterday was the wildest day experienced in Ballymacarrett [East Belfast] since the commencement of the pogrom.

From one o’clock until 6.30 pm it was the scene of desperate riots which broke out promiscuously all over the Newtownards Road, Short Strand and Mountpottinger area.

It culminated in a further dastardly attack on St Matthew’s [Catholic] Church by a mob of several thousand strong.

The vicinity of the church was the scene of a desperate conflict which raged for over half an hour in which the defenders put up a heroic fight and saved the building.

Catholic dockers sitting at their dinners along the Coal Quay were savagely beaten and chased from their employment and the shipyard mob of 700 or 800 made another desperate onslaught on the Foundry Street district.

The disturbance commenced shortly after one o’clock when a youth named Hughes standing at Short Strand was struck on the head by an iron bar wielded by an engineering employee. The youth was severely injured.

Following this, attacks were made on employees of the Sirocco Works and shipyard men on their way to dinner down the Mountpottinger Road.

The stone-throwing was fierce until a detachment of military and police arrived and took up positions at the street corners.

The attackers were chased down the side streets by the police. The Sirocco and shipyard workers returned mainly on tramcars and indulged in yelling and other provocative conduct.

The house of Mrs Ryan of Chadolly St was set on fire by the mob and completely destroyed. One of the children is missing and the worst is feared.

Mrs Ryan’s son was one the first Nationalists in the city to enlist for service in the war.

Rector’s Good Work

Throughout the night, Rev John Redmond, rector of Ballymacarrett and his curate, Major Rev FC Chesney, did useful work in endeavouring to reason with sections of the Orange mob.

These gentlemen, at considerable risk, succeeded in saving Catholic property which was about to be destroyed, including a Catholic lady’s furniture which was about to be placed on a bonfire in Templemore Avenue.

Southern Protestants’ Condemnation

In a letter to the press, Colonel Sir Nugent Everard, HML for County Meath, and the Protestant Bishop of Meath state that they were approached by Protestants in that county to voice to their disapproval of acts of religious intolerance in some industrial centres of the North of Ireland.

The resolution expresses abhorrence of every form of religious intolerance and disapproval of the introduction of sectarian animosities into the industrial life of Ireland.

It pleads for tolerance and equality between Catholics and Protestants.