“Your orders are to shoot-on-sight. Well, so are ours.”
Cork county (in Ireland) was one of the most active counties in Ireland, during the War of Independence from 1919 to 1921. At one stage almost 12,500 British troops were stationed in the county. One-third of the total British military force in Ireland.
There are many reminders of the conflict in the city. Indeed, the burning of the city by British troops ie. the black and tans and the auxiliaries, was one of the most destructive acts of the entire war.
War crimes and atrocities were carried out by both sides in this conflict. With many civilians from both the pro-union minority and pro-independence majority population caught up in the violence.
I’d like to take you back to the conflict in the city. By describing some pro-independence, volunteer actions, bomb explosions, and gun battles that you would have witnessed, had you been on the streets of the city center, during this period. The Rebel City tour below contains audio stories, a map and photos from the time. What’s more, it’s totally free. Check it out!
The Assassination of Police Commissioner Smyth on South Mall in Cork city…
RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) police commissioner Smyth sips brandy and smokes cigars in the Cork Country Club on the city’s main commercial thoroughfare. Solicitor’s clerks, well-to-do businessmen, and financiers make their way home after a long day’s work.
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The commissioner has recently made the news after declaring a ‘shoot-on-sight’ order for any citizens not immediately complying with RIC orders. A harsh decree certainly, leading some RIC policemen to resign in protest.
Having recently lost his brother at the hands of Irish republicans in Dublin after the Easter Rising of 1916. The commissioner was determined to halt the rising tide of Republicanism in the south of the country by any means possible.
Enter a gang of 12 to 15 assassins. They make their way into the country club, now Hibernian house on the South Mall. And proceed to the drawing-room. Most of them were armed, many wore masks. All were young men and volunteers.
Startled, the commissioner rises from his seat. The leader of the Republicans pulls out his revolver and declares ‘Your orders are to shoot on sight, well so are ours’. Before shooting the commissioner 3 times. Killing him.
The assassins then fled the country club, evaporating into the crowd leaving the next-door cinema.
Smyth was buried alongside his brother with full military honors in a graveyard in England. Another victim of this brutal and prolonged war.
If you have an interest in stories such as these or you are looking for an audio tour in Cork city you can do for free with your smartphone. Check out the…
And if you have time to spare, you could try a visit to the free Cork history museum in Fitzgerald’s park afterward.
Does anyone have any relatives who might have fought in the war — on either side? I’d love to hear any stories…
