Later that afternoon, in reprisal for the assassinations, the Black and Tans and members of the RIC entered a packed Croke Park, where Dublin was playing Tipperary in Gaelic football. The British forces opened fire on the players and crowd, killing 14 civilians, including one of the Tipperary players, Michael Hogan. That evening the British authorities killed three IRA men, Dick McKee, Peadar Clancy and Conor Clune, in Dublin Castle. The British claimed that the men were shot while trying to escape from custody. The events of Bloody Sunday were reported around the world. The British actions in Croke Park drew condemnation from the British and international community and began to force the British government to rethink its strategy in Ireland.
The Burning of Cork
A week after Bloody Sunday, on 28 November Tom Barry, commandant of the 3rd Cork Brigade, ambushed a group of Auxiliaries at Kilmichael in West Cork. Seventeen Auxiliaries were killed, making it one of the most costly attacks on British forces by the IRA. Partly as a response to the Kilmichael Ambush and partly in response to other IRA activities in the city, Auxiliaries from Victoria Barracks set the centre of Cork city on fire on the night of 11–12 December. Firemen trying to put out the fires had their hoses cut and were threatened with being shot. In total, over 40 business and 300 homes were destroyed in the blaze, including Cork City Hall. Like previous British attacks, the burning of Cork city drew international condemnation of British actions in Ireland.
146 LEAVING CERTIFICATE HISTORY
A soldier, a policeman and two Black and Tans, some of the varied British Forces sent to Ireland.
Cork city centre in the aftermath of the Auxiliaries’ rampage.
