The centenary of what is deemed the first confrontation in the Irish War of Independence will occur on Monday 21 January 2019. On that day 100 years ago, at Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary, two Royal Irish Constabulary constables, James McDonnell and Patrick O’Connell were ambushed and shot dead by the 3rd Tipperary Brigade I.R.A. which included the Big 4, as they became known, Dan Breen, Sean Hogan, Séamus Robinson and Sean Treacy. The constables were escorting a horse drawn cart containing a load of gelignite for blasting purpose at Soloheadbeg Quarry. Dan Breen claims in his book “My fight for Irish Freedom” that the constables readied their rifles when confronted. On seeing this, the ambushers opened fire, killing the two constables. The gelignite along with the constables’ rifles and ammunition were taken. Constable McDonnell was 56, a widower and a native Irish speaker. Constable O’Connell was 30 and unmarried. Both constables were Irish born Catholics and reportedly popular policemen within the community.
The ambush was immediately condemned by, not only the British, but also many in Ireland. The Catholic Church came out strongly against the attack. Those involved in the attack were rejected in many places that they sought refuge at first. Much of the I.R.A. leadership in Dublin did not approve of the attack and wished for the Big 4 to disappear to America.
When one considers the anti-British feeling that existed in Ireland in 1919 it was perhaps only a matter of time before an incident like Soloheadbeg happened. The Irish were at breaking point. Memories of famine, evictions, landlordism, failed attempts at Home Rule, but to mention a few factors, were contributing to growing frustration with how the Irish were being governed under British Rule. Evictions and extreme poverty were common during the youth of the participants at Soloheadbeg. In a televised documentary Breen described himself as a ‘serf’ while growing up in Ireland, indicating the poverty and hardship endured by many Irish at the time. It is fair to assume that a hatred for England, the country largely responsible for these conditions in Ireland, was developed. Breen also stated in the documentary that he looked upon anyone who would come along and lift Ireland out of that position as ‘a God’. This gives clear indication of Breens frustrations with the position he, and most of the Irish at the time found themselves in.
The aftermath of the 1916 Rising was the catalyst for revolution. The execution of the leaders of the Rising and the imprisonment of over 3,000 people significantly increased the anti-British feeling in the country. The British Prime Minister, Asquith, realised the danger that a severe reaction from the authorities to the Rising would have. He advised General Maxwell to cease with the executions as they would ‘sow the seeds of lasting trouble in Ireland’. Much to the frustration of those involved at Soloheadbeg, the 1916 Rising was confined to Dublin. Breen stated in a documentary that 1916 was a missed opportunity for him and that he was determined to make an effort not to miss the next time, that there was going to be a next time and that they weren’t going to wait forever. The sense of frustration at not being part of the rising in 1916 was echoed by Séamus Robinson who, as quoted in the bureau of military history online, states that the Soloheadbeg ambush ‘‘re-started the Easter Week Rising where it left off. The plan for Easter Week after the intended evacuation of Dublin was to be guerrilla tactics on a grand scale. Soloheadbeg merely [re]started those tactics on a modest scale’’. The success of Sinn Féin in the 1918 election and their stated aim of ‘making use of any and every means available to render impotent the power of England to hold Ireland in subjection by military force or otherwise’ only added to the revolutionary thoughts being developed by many throughout the country.
Efforts to force Irish people to fight in World War I through conscription and the fabrication of a German Plot so as to arrest the Sinn Féin leaders who were opposed to conscription added to the anti-British feeling in Ireland. Republicans all over Ireland were being subjected to searches and raids and deprivation of many civic rights. In regard to the moral aspect of attacking and killing members of the R.I.C., many held the belief that the R.I.C. were legitimate targets because of their role as local representatives of and intelligence gatherers for the British administration. Breen seemed to hold this belief and stated ‘‘I make no apology for killing and the only thing I’m sorry for is the number that escaped’’. Many people, especially those related to the R.I.C. constables who were shot, might view these sentiments as very cold and severe but one must remember that Ireland in 1919 was severe in its nature where the liberties we enjoy and take for granted today were not available for the majority of Irish people. Even the most evangelical amongst us must see that the conditions in Ireland prior to the attack at Soloheadbeg provided ample motivation, and even justification, for the ambush. The merits of the Soloheadbeg ambush are for each individual to decide. What is for certain however is that after Soloheadbeg, Ireland would never be the same again.
C. Ó hIcí – All Rights Recerved
Pat Walsh Memorial 