Battle of Clonmult marked IRA's biggest loss of life 

Twelve members of the column were killed, seven by the Auxiliaries Police after they had surrendered. Two of the eight captured were later executed.

In the months before the battle, the members of the Irish Volunteers, later called the IRA, were particularly active in East Cork.

East Cork was the area of responsibility of the 4th Battalion, 1st Cork Brigade. The most active Companies in the 4th Battalion were ‘A’ (Cobh) Company, ‘B’ (Midleton) Company and ‘E’ (Knockraha) Company.

During 1920, members of these three companies combined to participate in some dramatic attacks on Crown Forces.

Their first combined attack resulted in the capture and destruction of Carrigtwohill Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Barracks on January 3, 1920. This was the first successful capture and destruction of an RIC Barracks during the War of Independence.

There were other successful attacks in East Cork during the remainder of 1920 including: 

• the capture of Castlemartyr RIC Barracks on February 9, 1920
• the capture of Cloyne RIC Barracks on May 8 
• the disarming of a joint British Army/RIC bicycle patrol at Mile Bush near Midleton on June 5 which resulted in 12 rifles, bayonets and ammunition being captured.

Historian Tom O'Neill, who is acknowledged as the foremost expert on the era in the region, said Crown Forces were building up intelligence on the activists and quite a few were arrested. The remainder went on the run.

“Eventually so many active IRA men were on the run, not alone in East Cork but across the country, that the IRA formed these men into full time Active Service Units, also called Flying Columns,” Mr O'Neill said.

The Flying Column of the Fourth Battalion, First Cork Brigade was formed in Knockraha during September 1920, under the command of Commandant Diarmuid O’Hurley. The majority of its members had participated in the actions mentioned above.

Following their stay at Knockraha, the column moved to Shanagarry in an attempt to engage the British, but without success. 

They travelled to Ballymacoda, Ladysbridge and on to Aghada, but again failed to make contact.

Lucky escape

From Aghada, they marched to billet for the night in Bertie Walsh’s house in Rock Street, Cloyne, on December 11.

This was a dangerous move as Walsh himself was on the run and there was a possibility that the house was being watched. 

The house was surrounded by British troops the following morning and it was only by guile and an aggressive breakout that the column managed to escape.

“There were two similarities with Clonmult, in that there were no sentries in position and the house was surrounded. There was one major difference, the column members escaped from Cloyne, at Clonmult only one would escape,” Mr O'Neill said. 

"Recently discovered British Army reports highlight how lucky the column was on this occasion."

A much larger force of soldiers was sent to Cloyne that morning and fortunately for the column, the British Army truck carrying half of the troops broke down en route.

On the night of December 29, on the Main Street of Midleton, the IRA column carried out an ambush during which RIC Constable Martin Mullen was killed and two Black and Tans, Ernest Dray and Arthur Thorpe, later died of their wounds.

Mistakes

On January 6, the column moved into an unoccupied farmhouse at Garrylaurence, Clonmult, approximately 10kms east of Midleton.

“A major disadvantage for the column was that there was only one entrance door into the house. At that time this was a design feature to reduce draughts through the house. Unfortunately the column commander did not have his men carry out any work to create a hole in the rear wall to provide an emergency escape route,” Mr O'Neill said.

The men of the Flying Column were billeted in the disused farmhouse at Garrylaurence, Clonmult for about six weeks prior to the battle.

“The fact that they were there for so long contravened the normal activities of these IRA formations and was in conflict with its title ‘Flying’ which conjures up images of a type of commando, i.e. lightly armed, capable of hitting its enemy anywhere and constantly on the move.

“While the column was based in the farmhouse, it's very important to bear in mind they were possibly at the top of the Crown Forces most wanted list. The attack on the foot patrol in Midleton on December 29 would only have increased their efforts to find and destroy the column,” Mr O'Neill added.

He pointed out that during the week prior to the battle, IRA Brigade Headquarters in Cork City tasked the column with ambushing a train carrying military supplies and personnel at Cobh railway junction, which was to take place in late February.

Day of the battle

On the morning of the battle, Comdt D O’Hurley, with his second-in-command, Capt. Joseph Ahern, and the next senior officer, Capt. Paddy Whelan, departed to carry out a reconnaissance of Cobh Junction to plan the ambush.

Capt. Jack O’Connell was left in command with orders to vacate the farmhouse after dusk that evening and march the column to new billets at Dooneen near Leamlara, closer to Cobh Junction.

“The decision by Comdt O’Hurley to take his second-in-command and Capt. Paddy Whelan on the reconnaissance greatly weakened the command structure of the column,” Mr O'Neill said.

Around noon, the British military in Victoria Barracks Cork, received information from an informer that members of the column had been spotted near Clonmult the previous evening.

At 2.15pm, a 12-man mobile patrol from the Second Battalion Hampshire Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant DF Hook, was dispatched to investigate. The informer was also brought with them both as a guide and a hostage.

The patrol reached Rathorgan Cross Roads, near Clonmult at 3pm. One group of soldiers remained to secure the vehicles and to provide a firing base. The remainder formed into two foot patrols and carried out a cordon and search of Carey’s house where they believed the column was based, however they found it empty.

“The informer had incorrectly concluded that the column was in Carey’s. After consulting his map, Lt Hook decided to search another house nearby. This was where the column was located,” Mr O'Neill said.

Around the same time as the two British Army foot patrols set off for their second objective, Capt. Dick Hegarty and four young cyclists, John Harty, Edmond Terry, William Garde and Robert Walsh arrived at the farmhouse.

Dick Hegarty had been on weekend leave from the column.

John Harty and Edmond Terry had set out from Cloyne that morning to bring cigarettes, fresh clothing and funds to the column, they happened to meet their two friends on route.

The two army patrols set off again and the patrol under the command of Lieutenant AR Koe reached the objective first, at approximately 3.45pm. 

“The reason the army reached the house without being seen was because the two IRA sentries detailed to provide advance warning, had abandoned their positions and were inside the house packing their belongings for the planned departure. 

"Unfortunately, the acting column commander Capt. Jack O’Connell had seen the sentries and did nothing about it. By chance the British Army patrol under the command of Lt Koe had approached the farmhouse from the south and was covering the only door. At that stage there were seventeen IRA men and the four cyclists in or beside the house,” Mr O'Neill said.

Soldiers from Lt Koe’s 10-man patrol surprised two column members, Michael Desmond and John Joe Joyce, as they were going to the well for water. The two men were fatally wounded and died shortly afterwards.

“Those inside the house were now trapped because there was no other door in the house.” 

The second eight-man patrol under Lt Hook quickly arrived and completed the encirclement of the house. Just as the second patrol arrived the acting column commander Capt. Jack O’Connell led a breakout from the house and escaped. Shortly afterwards four men followed him.

Three of them, Michael Hallahan, James Ahern and Richard Hegarty were shot and killed. The fourth Diarmuid O’Leary ran back into the house under a hail of bullets.

Capt. Jack O’Connell while escaping became engaged in an exchange of fire with Lt Koe and two other soldiers. During this exchange CSM (Company Sergeant Major) Corney of the British Army was wounded.

“While those inside the house could not escape, the British Army did not have adequate numbers to attack the house. Lt Hook sent two soldiers back to the vehicles to get one of the drivers to take them to Midleton RIC Barracks for police reinforcements. Unfortunately for the column, two truckloads of Auxiliary Police happened to be there when the soldiers arrived,” Mr O'Neill said.

The reinforcements consisting of 24 members of the Auxiliary Police and an RIC officer arrived at approximately 5.20pm and brought petrol and grenades with them.

“Around 5.50pm, Lt H Hammond used the petrol to set fire to the thatch roof of the house. Those inside the house now had the choice of surrendering or being burned to death,” Mr O'Neill pointed out.

Shortly after 6pm, 12 IRA men surrendered. They were directed to stand in front of the wall of the cowshed to be searched.

Without warning, members of the Auxiliary Police opened fire on them and very quickly seven of the prisoners, Christopher O’Sullivan, David Desmond, Jeremiah Ahern and his first-cousin Liam Ahern, Donal Dennehy, Joseph Morrissey, and James Glavin, were shot dead. 

Four others, Patrick Higgins, John Harty, Edmond Terry and William Garde were wounded. The twelfth prisoner, Robert Walsh was unhurt.

Mr O'Neill stressed that the intervention of one of the British Army officers prevented the Auxiliaries from killing all of the prisoners.

“Three men Maurice Moore, Patrick O’Sullivan and Diarmuid O’Leary were delayed leaving the house and that delay possibly saved their lives.” 

Aftermath of the battle

“The battle of Clonmult was over and a total of 12 members of the column were killed. Eight others were captured and only one, Capt. Jack O’Connell had escaped. The battle site was vacated and all soldiers and prisoners were taken to Victoria Barracks. The Crown Forces casualties for the battle were two military and three police wounded of which one soldier and one policeman were severely wounded,” Mr O'Neill said.

“The three officers of the reconnaissance IRA group met Capt. Michael Burke later that evening, he told them there had been a battle at Clonmult. The three column officers drove to Knockraha where they met Capt. Jack O’Connell.

"The four officers drove to Clonmult but by that time the battle was over. All they could do was to identify the bodies of their former comrades,” Mr O'Neill said.

Nine of the volunteers were buried in Midleton, two in Cobh and Dick Hegarty in Ballymacoda.

Seven of the eight prisoners were tried by Military Court in Victoria Barracks, charged with waging war against the King, and found guilty.

“Three of them, Patrick O’Sullivan, Maurice Moore and Diarmuid O’Leary were sentenced to death. The other four, John Harty, Robert Walsh, William Garde and Edmond Terry had proven they were not members of the column and were sentenced to Penal Servitude for Life.

Patrick O’Sullivan and Maurice Moore were executed in the Cork Military Detention Barracks on April 28. Both were buried in the grounds of Cork Male Gaol, now part of the UCC complex. Diarmuid O’Leary’s death sentence was commuted to Penal Servitude for Life.

Diarmuid O’Leary and four other Clonmult prisoners were transferred from the Military Detention Barracks to the ‘Military Prison in the Field’ on Spike Island. 

Later they were transferred to Waterford Prison from where they were released in February 1922.

After the executions, the IRA was bent on revenge.

“After Clonmult every suspected informer and every man in Crown Forces uniform, including coastguards and marines, became a legitimate target to be shot on sight,” Mr O'Neill said.

During the following three weeks, nine members of the Crown Forces, one retired soldier and eight IRA volunteers and civilians were killed during IRA and British Army tit-for-tat killings. Almost all of the killings took place in the Midleton and Carrigtwohill areas.

“During May, the IRA in the Watergrasshill/Glenville area arrested David Walsh an ex-soldier, whom they were convinced was the informer for Clonmult. He was told that if he did confess he would be exiled to Australia. He eventually made a confession and based on this he was court-martialled and shot,” Mr O'Neill aid.

The British military authorities stated afterwards that Walsh was not an informer.

The column commander, Comdt Diarmuid O’Hurley, was killed by members of an RIC bicycle patrol north of Midleton on May 28. The eighth Clonmult prisoner, Patrick Higgins, was tried by Military Court during June, he was convicted and he too was sentenced to death.

“His appeal was taken to a higher level and he was released shortly after the Truce,” Mr O'Neill said.