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
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
Constable Daniel Murphy, a Black-and-Tan from Cork, was captured and executed by the IRA’s East Clare Brigade on 12 March 1921. Murphy had been making frequent trips to the district where the Glenwood ambush had taken place, posing as an agricultural labourer whilst making inquiries about local republicans. Two members of the IRA, Martin McNamara … Read more
Roger Casement: imperialist, rebel, revolutionary Séamas Ó Síocháin (Lilliput Press, €40) ISBN 978 843510215 Those who speak truth to power often meet violent ends. Rodolfo Walsh, Ken Saro Wiwa and Chico Mendes are all recent examples; Roger Casement, who spent much of his life drawing attention to unspeakable truths, is another. His official investigation of … Read more
The UVF man incinerated in the bungled Ballyshannon attack in October 1969,Thomas McDowell, a quarry worker and father of ten, is stillcommemorated on UVF rolls of honour. As recently as 2006 one of itspublications, The Fallen and the Brave, puts his name at the head of alist of its volunteers killed in the Troubles. It … Read more