Kilmichael Ambush 28 November 1920

The Kilmichael Ambush , 28 November 1920

51°48'44.6"N 9°03'24.6"W

Visit to the Kilmichael Ambush site in County Cork, Ireland on 2 August 2017

 

On  2 August 2017, I visited the site of the Kilmichael Ambush in county Cork, Ireland. It is at this site on 28 November 1920 one of the most significant events of the Irish War of Independence took place. 

 

All the pictures in this blog I took all the pictures on the day and the pictures with the text describing the ambush are cropped images of the information  signs erected around the ambush site.  The posts you see in the photographs and indicated on the sketch of the ambush layout denote where the volunteers were located and the number of them.

 

An IRA  flying column led by Tom Barry ( commander of the 3^rd Cork Brigade flying column) ambushed  the British Auxiliaries that were stationed at Macroom castle . The British Auxiliaries were deployed in Ireland in July 1920 and were made up of former British officers that were heavily armed and well trained and veterans of world war 1.  For months the  Auxiliaries frequently raided the surrounding areas and intimidated and harassed the locals Until the flying column took action at the Kilmichael Ambush.

The following is a mixtures of site photographs and also the photographs of the signs cropped that tell the story of the ambush

 

Sketch of the Ambush area

 



Command Post Location at the Dunmanway  end of the site



No. 1 section  position

 

No. 1  section  location with posts denoting volunteers 












View from No, 1 position looking in direction of Macroom




No.2 Section position

No. 2 section

 

View from No.2 section position



No. 3 section position (inaccessible) on opposite side of road to the other positions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                    TOM BARRY

 

One of the signs at the site states the following: ‘The Kilmicael Ambush site was developed by the Kilmichael Historical society ltd. And the Kilmichael and Crossbarry Commemoration Committee, to preserve , enhance and promote this location  as the scene of one of the most significant ambushes during the War of Independence 1919-1921. The official opening was performed by the relatives of the ambush casualties: Michael McCarthy, Jim O’Sullivan and Pat Deasy on 12 October 2014’

Thank you for preserving our history  and promoting the site and long may it be a place where people can visit and recall a chapter of Irish history