As we approach the centenary of the War of Independence there is a growing interest in the period. To date this interest in County Clare has been focused on relatively well-known events, including ambushes, barracks attacks and the deaths of rebel leaders. This is unsurprising, as these events were commemorated annually from the 1940s onwards, … Read more
By late August 1969 Belfast had settled down to an uneasy calm, with several areas now patrolled by vigilantes and defence committees. The barricades thrown up during August were soon adorned with all manner of slogans: ‘This is Free Belfast’, ‘The Falls will never fall’, ‘SS-RUC’ and ‘B-Men child killers beware’ among them. But while … Read more
The last British soldier to be secretly buried in Clare was Private R.W. Williams (service no. 4179390). Williams, son of Mrs M. Williams of 3 Abbey Green, Chester, was a member of the 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers, stationed in Limerick. On 26 May 1921 the IRA had attempted to blow up the two-arched … Read more
In mid-1969 the Department of Justice presented the Irish government with its view of the threat posed by the IRA, which it suggested had perhaps 1,200 members in the Republic. IRA members were said to be centrally involved in housing protests and land agitation, having decided that ‘social unrest would be exploited’ in order to … Read more
Pretenders looking for their crowns Kings Director: Tom Collins by Mícheál Mac Aonghusa Surely the most chilling line of dialogue in Kings is the acknowledgement, ‘Seo é do bhaile anois’ [‘This is your home now’]. To a single Connemara man who has spent 30 years in London and more or less confined his social life … Read more