JULY-DECEMBER 1921 : Revenge Attacks on Republicans During The 'Truce' .......
.......it was in that same year (1921) that the IRA decided to burn down the centre of British Administration in Ireland ; the Custom House in Dublin . About 120 armed IRA Volunteers were involved in the operation , in May 1921 .......
...the IRA men were scattering the contents of filing-cabinets and other paper work etc onto the floor and pouring petrol on it and the furniture . As the flames caught hold , the alarm had already been sounded in near-by Dublin Castle - "Armed men at the Custom House !" A force of British troops and Auxiliaries hurriedly left Dublin Castle and joined their colleagues , who were coming under fire , around the Custom House .
The gun-fight claimed the lives of two IRA men and forced the surrender of the Dublin Brigade IRA (approximately 120 Volunteers), as they were surrounded and out-numbered by enemy forces .
Also , in 1921 - the Catholic Hierarchy were in full vocal flight in condemning Irish Republicans , a full-scale battle was fought (in March 1921) between Tom Barry's 3rd West Cork Brigade Flying Column and the 17th Brigade of the British Army (an encounter which was described by British General Macready as - "the nearest approach to actual warfare , as contested with ambushes , that has yet occurred .")
In April 1921 , the Brits reported 'finding' "extensive amounts of arms" belonging to the IRA . Indeed , in two months alone during the year 1921 , there was over two-thousand engagements between the two sides in each month .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......
".......we were in Kerry waiting to help the local IRA Volunteers on an operation against the Brits ; an old Kerry man was telling us to carry-on with the fight , to drive the foe from the land , when we were interrupted by the arrival of a messenger ......."
" The IRA Officers with us spoke together for a few minutes , then our Column Leader told us our destination - Macroom , thirty miles to the east by our nearest route . We said good-bye to the good people of Mangerton and immediately we were marching ; keeping to the mountain , we made a bee-line for Morley's Bridge , ten miles to the east . We enjoyed those ten miles over that high and rough ground , for the day was fine and the views of mountain , sea , lake and stream excellent !
As we neared Morley's Bridge we had to cross a bog on a plateau hundreds of feet over the valley we were aiming for - it must have been fairly easy of access from some direction , for some of the bog had been cut away for fuel . The Column marched two deep at a smart rate and kept step with precision . Our Brigadier was with us and set the pace in front ; I was at the extreme end with the Lewis-Gun section , as we marched along the edge of the bank where the turf had been cut to a straight vertical face . The regular beat of the feet falling together and , of course, the combined weight of nearly fifty men caused the bog to shake .
Presently , I noticed a crack run along the ground inside the men in front of us ; it widened as more men stepped on it . I warned the lads near me as the bank threatened to break away ......."
(MORE LATER).
' COLONEL OLIVER NORTH WOULD'NT DO ANYTHING THAT REAGAN DID'NT APPROVE ' .......
'The chain of events that has become known as IRANGATE is circling ever tighter around President Reagan . Sean Cronin draws together some of the links in the bizarre story'
First published in 'The Irish Times' newspaper , Tuesday , February 10th , 1987 , page 14 .
Re-produced here in 12 parts.
6 of 12.
Another Israeli , David Kimche , former head of the Foreign Office and once a high official of Mossad , the intelligene service , met Robert McFarlane in July or August 1985 ; he recommended sending arms to Iran to boost "the moderates" and to release the hostages . There was special emphasis on William Buckley , Beirut CIA . The Iranians were interested in TOW anti-tank missiles . McFarlane said he told President Reagan , who was in hospital recovering from surgery for cancer , and received authorisation for Israel to ship arms .
This is disputed by the White House Chief of Staff , Mr. Donald Regan , and President Reagan does not recall giving prior authorisation for the shipment .
The Israelis shipped the arms and the Reverend Benjamin Weir , a Presbyterian minister , was released .......
(MORE LATER).
