73 Tom Barry and the Kilmichael Ambush

On this episode of the Irish History Show we discussed the Kilmichael Ambush. The Kilmichael Ambush occurred on the 28th of November 1920 when a flying column of the IRA, led by Tom Barry, ambushed a company of the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The Auxiliaries lost 17 members in the engagement, including one who had escaped and was subsequently captured and killed.

We also looked at the career of Tom Barry. Hi service with the British Army in the First World War, his actions in the War of Independence and Civil War and his recently released Military Service Pension application.

We also looked at the controversies surrounding Kilmichael and the disputes regarding Barry’s claim of a false surrender by the Auxiliaries which led Barry not to take prisoners during the engagement.

Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.