• 28 November 1920: Tom Barry and the West Cork Brigade ambushed and killed 18 Auxiliaries in Kilmichael, Co. Cork. In retaliation, Auxiliaries burned Cork city centre.
• 25 May 1921: the IRA burned Dublin’s Custom House. The fire lasted for five days and destroyed records going back for centuries. Eighty IRA men were killed or captured.
The end of the War of Independence
Both the British and the Irish government recognised that peace was needed. The war was costing Britain £20 million a year, and the Irish were running out of arms and ammunition. The British government was also being criticised at home and abroad for the actions of the Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries against civilians. When de Valera returned from America he agreed to a truce with Lloyd George. The truce began on 11 July 1921.
CHECKPOINT!
1. When and how did the War of Independence begin? 2. Explain the term guerrilla warfare.
3. What methods did the IRA use during the War of Independence in (a) rural areas and (b) urban areas?
4. Who were the Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries? 5. What was a reprisal? Give an example from the War of Independence. 6. Why was a truce declared in July 1921?
.
I can describe the main events and details of the War of Independence.
Black and Tans observing Henry Street, Dublin, 1921 TIME TO GO BACK I CAN MOVE FORWARD
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18 Ireland 1916–1923: The Struggle for Independence
