100 years ago today IRA Volunteers successfully assaulted a semi-fortified RIC Barracks at Carrigtwohill, #Cork. It was the first in a series of attacks which for many marked the transition of the conflict into what could be called a war. 1/7
The violence of the engagement was seen as particularly noteworthy, and was a harbinger of things to come. Here is how Mick Leahy, the Volunteer who led the attack, remembered the event 2/7
Another Volunteer involved was Michael Burke from Cobh. Here is his account of the action: 3/7
Although the RIC Barrack building itself is no longer extant, elements of the archaeological conflict landscape do survive today. These include buildings opposite the Barracks that were occupied by IRA Volunteers during the firefight 4/7
The laneway that ran beside the RIC Barrack building which was an important landscape feature utilised by IRA Volunteers on the night of the attack is also still in existence 5/7
As are various elements such as stone walls that are likely contemporary with the event and behind which Volunteers positioned themselves. As with the majority of Revolutionary-era sites, no landscape audit has ever been conducted. 6/7
The story of the Carrigtwohill attack and the surviving landscape is one of those I covered in my 2016 book for Cork County Council. It examines the history and archaeology of the Revolutionary Period in Cork, and is available for free online here: corkcoco.ie/sites/default/… 7/7
Although there is an odd variance in published dates between 2nd and 3rd for the attack, as @niallmurray1 points out the assault was actually launched on the 3rd, so 24 hours early!
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