Burgery ambush
Ambush during the Irish War of Independence
Burgery Ambush | ||||
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Part of Irish War of Independence | ||||
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Belligerents | ||||
![]() (Déise Brigade) |
![]() (Reserve Force) |
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Commanders and leaders | ||||
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Strength | ||||
~20 |
14 (initially)
50 (subsequently) |
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Casualties and losses | ||||
2 killed |
2 killed
2 captured |
The Burgery Ambush was an ambush carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 18–19 March 1921, during the Irish War of Independence . [1] It took place near Dungarvan , County Waterford .
Ambush
On the night of 18–19 March 1921, IRA volunteers of the West Waterford flying column ambushed a British military convoy at the Burgery, about a mile and a half northeast of Dungarvan. The convoy included Black and Tans and a Royal Irish Constabulary Sergeant, named Michael Hickey. [2] In overall command of the IRA unit was IRA GHQ Officer George Plunkett . Also present were West Waterford Brigade Commandant Pax Whelan, ASU leader George Lennon , and Mick Mansfield. A British Crossley tender was set on fire and prisoners taken by the IRA, including Sergeant Hickey. Hickey was later killed by an IRA firing squad [3] with a sign reading "police spy" affixed to his tunic. He was later buried in an unmarked grave. [2] Other prisoners including Captain DV Thomas, the commander of the British garrison, were released. [4]
After the ambush, a group of volunteers under Plunkett returned to search for any armaments left behind by the British forces. Crown forces who were now searching the area engaged the IRA party; IRA volunteers Seán Fitzgerald and Pat Keating were shot dead. [5] A member of the Black and Tans , Constable Sydney R. Redman [3] was shot dead during the return fire.
References
- ↑ Edmond Keohan (26 July 2001). "The Irish War of Independence 1919-1921" . Waterford County Museum. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008 . Retrieved 25 May 2008 .
- 1 2 "Unmarked Dungarvan grave pushes man to act as his father's son" Archived 29 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine , The Munster Express , 17 March 2006.
- 1 2 RIC Memorial Archived 12 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine ; accessed 20 August 2014.
- ↑ O'Halpin, Eunan & Ó Corráin, Daithí (2020), The Dead of the Irish Revolution . Yale University Press, pg 344.
- ↑ O'Halpin, pg 347.
Sources
- Rebel Heart: George Lennon: Flying Column Commander , Mercier 2009, ISBN 1-85635-649-3