Fianna Fáil expected to lose the vote on the Offences Against the State Act and were preparing to go to the country on a strong law-and-order platform. Ironically, this meant that Fine Gael could be attacked as being soft on the IRA. Fine Gael TDs knew that Fianna Fáil was likely to win a general … Read more
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
On May Eve 1858 a fierce storm blew across the west coast of Ireland. On Sunday 2 May, some boys cutting through Drumcliff graveyard, about a mile and a half outside Ennis, Co. Clare, made a shocking discovery—a grave had been excavated, and a coffin that had been buried 7ft deep had been forced open. … Read more