Bloody Sunday
By Wayne Sugg
Prisoners shot dead
On Saturday 20 November, the night before the IRA's operation to
wipe out the Cairo Gang, a large number of Volunteers were
arrested in British army raids. Amongst them were Commandant Dick
McKee, Dublin Brigade, and Vice-Commandant Peadar Clancy, Dublin
Brigade, two of the key figures involved in the planning of the
Cairo Gang operation.
Both were captured in a safe house on Gloucester Street and along
with the landlord of the house, Seán Fitzpatrick, were taken to
the Guardroom of Dublin Castle where they were to be
interrogated. The raid had been carried out following a tip off
from police informer Shankers Ryan.
Among the prisoners was a Clareman, Conor Clune, who had arrived
in Dublin to meet Piarais Beaslaí and Edward McLyasght to discuss
setting up Irish cultural projects. Vaughan's Hotel, where the
meeting took place, had earlier held a meeting of senior IRA
figures, including McKee. The Auxiliaries, believing the meeting
was still in progress, raided the hotel and arrested Clune.
Beaslaí and McLysaght escaped.
Each prisoner was interrogated separately by the Director of
British Intelligence, Sir Ormonde Winter (known as `The Holy
Terror', because of the torture he inflicted on prisoners) and
two of his officers, Captain Hardy and Captain King. (Hardy and
King were on the IRA hit list for the following morning but
escaped because they were still in the Castle interrogating
prisoners.)
When news arrived at the Castle the next morning of the deaths of
the intelligence officers, Sir Ormond Winter ordered all the
prisoners off to different barracks but McKee, Clancy and Clune
were held back for further `questioning'. Ben Doyle, an IRA
Volunteer, later said that Clancy almost got away when he slipped
into the line of men being marched out but was halted by Captain
Hardy.
When Michael Collins got news of McKee and Clancy's arrest he
ordered Ned Broy, a police detective and IRA agent, to search out
the Bridewell for them. Members of the Dublin Brigade were
quickly assembled to break them out, but Broy returned saying
they were not there. Another detective working for the IRA, James
McNamara, reported that they were in the Castle and that the
Auxiliaries were out of control and thirsting for revenge. There
was nothing that could be done, as the Castle was seemingly
impregnable.
At 11am the three men, McKee, Clancy and Clune were executed. The
official Dublin Castle communiqué stated they had been shot while
attempting to escape, producing staged photographs in an attempt
to prove it. The truth however was that these three defenceless
prisoners were tortured, bayoneted and then shot to death.
William Pearson, an ex colonel in the British army and doctor,
went along with Ed McLysaght to the King George V Hospital to
identify Clune's body. On examination of the 13 wounds inflicted
on Clune, Pearson believed that these wounds could not have been
inflicted if Clune had been trying to escape. The bodies of McKee
and Clancy were returned to their families and laid out in their
coffins in full Volunteer uniform, but because their faces were
so badly beaten it was decided to close the coffins.
Within two weeks the informer, Shankers Ryan, was shot dead as he
sat drinking in a pub off Gloucester Street.
Croke Park massacre
Despite the fears of reprisals, at 2.45pm on 21 November 1920 the
much-publicised GAA match between Dublin, the Leinster champions,
and Tipperary began when referee Mick Sammon threw in the ball.
The match was being held to raise funds for the dependants of
dead or imprisoned IRA Volunteers.
Jack Sholdice of Dublin Brigade discussed cancelling the match
with senior GAA officials, including Alderman Nowlan, Luke
O'Toole, Andy Harty and Dan McCarthy, but it was decided that
because in the past sporting events had not been targeted by the
British, there was nothing to fear.
With the teams and the crowd enthusiastically involved in the
match little notice was taken of a red signal flare fired from a
circling plane. That signal saw the Auxiliaries scale Croke
Park's walls and make their way onto the pitch. With that an
Auxiliary officer opened fire on the teams, followed by the other
soldiers turning machine gun and rifle fire on the spectators.
When the gunfire and the ensuing stampede subsided 14 people lay
dead and another 62 were injured. The refusal of the crown forces
to allow medical attention to the injured until all the
spectators had been searched exacerbated the injuries of those
wounded and may have led to the death of some who were not
initially mortally wounded.
One of the dead was a Tipperary player Mick Hogan (the Hogan
Stand is named after him). As he lay on the ground dying, a
Wexfordman, Thomas Ryan, saying an act of contrition beside him,
was shot dead.
Three children were among the dead: ten-year-old Jerry O'Leary,
who died in his mother's arms after being shot in the chest, and
Willie Robinson (11) crushed to death during the stampede.
Fourteen-year-old J. Scott was so badly shot that it was first
suspected that he had been bayoneted to death. A young
bride-to-be, Jenny Boyle, who had attended the match with her
fiancé, was crushed to death during the stampede.
The Auxiliaries, the brave elite which Britain's Chief Secretary
for Ireland Sir Hammer Greenwood, stated would fix the IRA once
and for all, made its mark in Ireland by slaughtering innocent
civilians 77 years ago last week on Bloody Sunday 21 November
1920.
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