Ireland, 1921 - this US citizen was in Ireland to visit his brother. A Crown Force patrol was heading his way but he had the sense to make himself scarce, as he knew what they were capable of, as did other people in the area. But they found him - he never made it back to America alive...
1921, Belfast - three men were taken away by 'renegade' British forces and their bodies were found the next day. A well-known and feared RIC man, with a 'gung-ho' family history, was found to be involved, and he in turn was linked to a better-known uniformed thug. His 'nixers' came back to haunt him...
Mr de Valera was, he said, thinking of this particular policy since 1921, it was raised by others in 1925 but he said nothing. Then, in 1926, he tried to introduce it as his own policy...
Ireland, 1921 - these fighters left the IRA to join the Free State Army but quickly realised they were in the minority and couldn't actually contain their former comrades, who were still striking against the British military presence. So those former republicans turned to the British Army and asked them for help to control the IRA...
In 1919, this Galway man left his job in the British Navy and moved 'inland', for the same employer. He hunted down the IRA for Westminster and, by chance, cycled into an IRA ambush position one day and was recognised for what he was. 'Plan A' didn't work out for the Volunteers, so the ex-Navy man became 'Plan B'...
...the above pieces are snapshots of just five of the 23 articles we'll be writing about on the blog on Wednesday, 12th June 2024, with 'ner a mention of the elections, which are (rightly) dominating the airwaves here.
...and speaking of elections (!), t'was on the 12th June in the year 1741 that a by-election was held here, following the death of 'Sir' Walter Dixon Borrowes.
It was won by a 'Lord' Ophaly (later '1st Duke of Leinster'), but that was really secondary - the real action took place on the (political) duelling field, between a Mr William Paul Warren and a Mr Jack Hardy, which led to Mr Hardy's right hand and arm being shattered ; the 'vote' in favour of amputation was strong...!
Anyway - give us a shout back here on Wednesday, 12th June 2024 ; find out about the amputation job yourself, if ya want, and we'll tell ya about the other 23...
Thanks for the visit, and for reading ; see y'all on Wednesday, 12th!
Sharon and the team.
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