The Battle of Clonmult

The IRA's Worst Defeat

Tom O'Neill, Tom O'Neill MA

• Publisher: THP Ireland
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9781845885540
• Edition: 2
• eBook ISBN:
  9780752481029
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Irish History
• Index: History

The Battle of Clonmult was the IRA's greatest loss of volunteers in a single engagement against Crown Forces. On Sunday, 20 February 1921, at Clonmult near Midleton in County Cork, almost the entire east Cork flying column was wiped out having been surprised by a British Army patrol later reinforced by Auxiliary Police. Only one IRA man escaped the attack. Twelve were killed, seven after they had surrendered, and two of the eight captured were later executed.

In this balanced and factual account of the Battle of Clonmult, Tom O'Neill includes the formation of the column, the events leading to the battle, a detailed account of that terrible day for the IRA locally and nationally, the aftermath, trials, executions and reprisals. This book goes into detail of how the British Army located the column even though the informer had mistakenly directed them to the wrong house, and this revised edition draws on the original 1921 Military Court file of the Clonmult prisoners to provide new information on the battle.

LIST OF APPENDICES

1. Weekend Casualties, 19th–20th February 1921

2. The IRA Order of Battle, 1921, Pertaining to Clonmult

3. 4th Battalion Flying Column, Members Present at Clonmult

4. Nominal Roll of the 4th Battalion Flying Column

5. The Battle of Clonmult Timeline

6. Irish War of Independence Medals

7. British Army Order of Battle, 1921

8. British Army Order of Battle, 1921, Pertaining to Clonmult

9. Crown Forces Personnel Known to Have Been at Clonmult

10. British Military Communiqués, 20th and 22nd February 1921

11. Notice ‘B’ Destruction of Property by Crown Forces

12. Lt A.R. Koe’s Battle of Clonmult Report

13. Col French’s Letter of Commendation

14. RIC Monthly Confidential Report, February 1921

15. British Military Medals Awarded for the Clonmult Action

16. The Battle of Clonmult (poem)

17. Clonmult’s Lonely Vale, First Version (poem)

18. Clonmult’s Lonely Vale, Second Version (poem)

19. In Memory of the Brave Boys Who Fell at Clonmult (Poem)

20. In Clonmult’s Verdant Vale (Poem)

21. The Old Camp on the Hill (Poem)

22. Diarmuid O’Hurley (Poem)

APPENDIX 1

WEEKEND CASUALTIES, 19TH-20TH FEBRUARY 1921

Midleton	13
Skibbereen	2
Galway Councillor	1
Limerick Boys	2
Ex-Soldier in Cork	1
Tipperary Labourer	1
Armagh Farmer	1
Train Mystery	1
Clones Tragedy	1
Body found in River	1
Total	24

¹

__________

1 Freeman’s Journal, Monday, 21st February 1921.

APPENDIX 2

THE IRA ORDER OF BATTLE 1921 PERTAINING TO CLONMULT

¹

The members of the flying column killed at Clonmult were drawn primarily from ‘A’ and ‘B’ Companies, 4th Battalion, 1st Cork Brigade. Comdt Michael Leahy of Cobh was the Commanding Officer of the Battalion at the time.²

__________

1 Capuchin Annual, 1970, p. 360.

2 Ibid.

APPENDIX 3

4TH BATTALION FLYING COLUMN, MEMBERS PRESENT AT CLONMULT

Comdt Diarmuid O’Hurley	Bandon	killed 28th May 1921
Vice-Comdt Joseph Ahern	Midleton
Capt James Ahern	Cobh	killed 20th February 1921
Capt Richard Hegarty	Garryvoe	killed 20th February 1921
Capt Paddy Higgins	Cloyne
Capt Jack O’Connell	Cobh
Capt Diarmuid O’Leary	Killeagh
Capt Paddy Whelan	Wexford and Cobh
Lt Christopher O’Sullivan	Midleton	killed 20th February 1921
Lt Patrick O’Sullivan	Cobh	executed 28th April 1921
Vol Jeremiah Ahern	Midleton	killed 20th February 1921
Vol Liam Ahern	Midleton	killed 20th February 1921
Vol Donal Dennehy	Midleton	killed 20th February 1921
Vol David Desmond	Midleton	killed 20th February 1921
Vol Michael Desmond	Midleton	killed 20th February 1921
Vol James Glavin	Cobh	killed 20th February 1921
Vol Michael Hallahan	Midleton	killed 20th February 1921
Vol John Joe Joyce	Midleton	killed 20th February 1921
Vol Maurice Moore	Cobh	executed 28th April 1921
Vol Joseph Morrissey	Castlemartyr & Carlow	killed 20th February 1921
Na Fianna Vol John Harty	Cloyne
Na Fianna Vol Edmond Terry	Churchtown South
William Garde	Shanagarry
Robert Walsh	Ballycotton

APPENDIX 4

NOMINAL ROLL OF THE 4TH BATTALION FLYING COLUMN

Comdt Diarmuid O’Hurley	Officer Commanding	Bandon
Vice-Comdt Joseph Ahern	Second-in-Command	Midleton
Capt Paddy Higgins	Quartermaster Officer	Cloyne
Capt...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Abbreviations
• Revolutionary Cork
• The Column’s Failed Security Plan
• The Column’s Reconnaissance Group
• The British Army at Clonmult
• The Battle of Clonmult
• The Aftermath of the Battle
• The Trial by Military Court of the Clonmult Prisoners
• The Executions
• The IRA and Crown Forces Reprisals
• The Trial by Military Court of Capt Paddy Higgins
• The Battle of Clonmult Conclusion
• List of Appendices
• Primary Sources and Interviews
• Bibliography
• Picture Section