By December, 1920, the Irish War of Independence was raging out of control and Cork was in the eye of the storm.
It was a guerrilla war fuelled by reprisal and counter reprisal - the city streets became the battleground of a bloody and personalised war of attrition.
On the night of December 11th 1920 - Cork City was to experience an unprecedented night of terror and destruction at the hand of the British Forces of Law and Order.
With over five acres of the city destroyed and an estimated £20 million worth of damage, the Burning of Cork is recognised as the most extensive single act of vandalism in the entire period of the nationalist struggle.
The Burning of Cork cannot be regarded as an isolated incident in the nine months leading up to the night. The city witnessed an ever escalating cycle of violence as attacks by the Volunteers were answered by the predictable reprisal by the Forces of the Crown.
With two Lord Mayors dead and various high profile officers of the British authority kidnapped or assassinated by December, 1920, the fuse had been lit for events that would unfold on the night Cork City was burnt.
This documentary features contributions from direct descendants of high ranking republicans who died in this turbulent period:
Máire MacSwiney Brugha, daughter of Terence MacSwiney, who was captured, imprisoned in Bristol and died on hunger strike while serving as elected Mayor of Cork;
Fionnuala MacCurtain, grand-daughter of Mayor McCurtain who was gunned down in his own home in front of his wife and family, also while serving as Mayor of Cork;
Dr Donal Ó Drisceoil, Professor of History at UCC;
Dr Brendan O'Shea - Military historian.
Pat Poland - Fire Historian
Meda Ryan - author, The Day Michael Collins Was Shot
Gerry White - Military historian.
Aingeal Ní Cháinte O'Buachalla - niece of the Delany brothers shot dead on the night Cork was burned.
The Burning of Cork' was produced by Seaview Pictures for RTÉ Television.
Revisionist historian. Wrote a book a few years ago claiming that Tom Barry killed British soldiers who had surrendered at Kilmichael. Not sure what his take on the burning of Cork would be, though. Bangorfeen, d'you know?
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'We are vain and we are blind
I hate people when they're not polite'
Tom Barry featured in the docu. He claimed that the auxes "surrendered" and put down their rifles, but then they shot two republicans with revolvers when they stood up to arrest them. Barry then gave the order to continue fire, and ignored the auxes next "surrender". These auxes used to go around taking pot shots at people in fields. So no need for Peter Hart- I don't see how he could prove that there was a genuine surrender- the auxes were not known for being honourable.
Great documentary, extremely well edited- the flow was excellent. Basically, the British lost control of their men in Collins's barracks.
Tom Barry featured in the docu. He claimed that the auxes "surrendered" and put down their rifles, but then they shot two republicans with revolvers when they stood up to arrest them. Barry then gave the order to continue fire, and ignored the auxes next "surrender". These auxes used to go around taking pot shots at people in fields. So no need for Peter Hart- I don't see how he could prove that there was a genuine surrender- the auxes were not known for being honourable.
Great documentary, extremely well edited- the flow was excellent. Basically, the British lost control of their men in Collins's barracks.
Au contraire. Hart's book is worth a read. He cites various eyewitness accounts, but the really key thing he mentions is that the story of the false surrender only cropped up years after the event. Neither Barry nor anyone else in his unit made any reference to it at the time, even in the official report to the IRA. But it seems wildly implausibe that Barry wouldn't have mentioned such a key fact to his superiors. If Hart is right in that, it's pretty unlikely that there really was a false surrender.
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'We are vain and we are blind
I hate people when they're not polite'
I was also reminded how Cork people love telling you how their grandfather did this or their grandmother was so-and-so during the War Of Independence. Okay, Fionnuala MacCurtain, we get it, you have a famous Granddad.
Seriously, it was a very well-made show. Someone's been studying Ken Burns' documentary style.
The RTE Factual moniker bothers me, though.
It's like CiBo, A Restaurant.
Au contraire. Hart's book is worth a read. He cites various eyewitness accounts, but the really key thing he mentions is that the story of the false surrender only cropped up years after the event. Neither Barry nor anyone else in his unit made any reference to it at the time, even in the official report to the IRA. But it seems wildly implausibe that Barry wouldn't have mentioned such a key fact to his superiors. If Hart is right in that, it's pretty unlikely that there really was a false surrender.
Thanks. It hadn't occurred to me that there might have been eye witnesses. Sounds quite plausible- as has been said, it was a vicious war.
The Burning Of Cork
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