Maurice Moore (15 June 1894 – 28 April 1921) was an Irish republican who fought in the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

. In April 1921 Moore was executed in the military prison of Victoria Barracks (now

Cork Prison Cork Prison () is an Irish penal institution on Rathmore Road, Cork City, Ireland. It is a closed, medium security prison for males over 17 years of age. As of 2022, it had a bed capacity of 296 and the daily average number of resident inmates ...

) after being captured in the aftermath of the

Clonmult Ambush The Clonmult ambush took place on 20 February 1921, during the Irish War of Independence. Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteers occupying a remote, disused farmhouse near Clonmult, County Cork were surrounded by a force of British Army, Royal ...

. Moore was born on 15 June 1894 at Castle Oliver,

Cobh Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. With a population of 14,148 inhabitants at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, Cobh is on the south si ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, the son of Michael Moore, a labourer, and Mary Foley. He was educated at the local Presentation Brothers National School and after school began work as a plumber's mate at

Haulbowline Haulbowline (; ) is an island in Cork Harbour off the coast of Ireland. The world's first yacht club was founded on Haulbowline in 1720. The western side of the island is the main naval base and headquarters for the Irish Naval Service, with t ...

dockyard (then a British naval establishment). His family had strong republican connections and he joined

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers (), also known as the Irish Volunteer Force or the Irish Volunteer Army, was a paramilitary organisation established in 1913 by nationalists and republicans in Ireland. It was ostensibly formed in response to the format ...

in Cobh in 1916. Three of his brothers were also members and they all subsequently served with the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

as members of the 4th Battalion, Cork No.1 Brigade. As a member of the Cobh Company of the IRA Moore took part in the capture of

Carrigtwohill Carrigtwohill, officially Carrigtohill (), is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of 5,568 (2022). It is 12 kilometres east of Cork city centre. It is connected to Cork Suburban Rail and is bypassed by the N25 road. Carrigtwoh ...

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...

(RIC) barracks which was the first police barracks captured by republicans in the War of Independence. He was later involved in the capture of

Cloyne Cloyne () is a small town located to the southeast of Midleton in eastern County Cork, Ireland. It is also a see city of the Anglican (Church of Ireland) Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic dioce ...

RIC barracks and numerous other actions of the local IRA against British crown forces. In February 1921 Moore was one of a flying column of over 20 IRA men billeted in an old farmhouse at Clonmult, near

Midleton Midleton (; , meaning "monastery at the weir") is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies approximately 16 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare. A satelli ...

under Commandant Diarmuid Hurley. They were tracked down and surrounded by a company of the

Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The re ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and RIC, Black and Tans and Auxiliaries. In the ensuing gunfight 12 of the republicans were killed and eight captured, including Maurice Moore. The group were given a military

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

and all were sentenced to death. Seven of them later had their sentences commuted but two, Moore and his lifelong friend Paddy O'Sullivan were executed by hanging Victoria Barracks, Cork on 28 April 1921. In the hope of preventing the executions, the IRAs Cork No 1 Brigade held British Army Major Compton Smith of the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers () was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales's Division, that was founded in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and becam ...

as a hostage. On the same day of Moore's execution, Major Smith was executed by the IRA.Macardle, Dorothy (1938), ''The Irish Republic'', Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, Pg 443

Sources

* http://homepage.eircom.net/~corkcounty/Timeline.htm * ''Cork Jail Memorial Souvenir'' (pamphlet), 1948, Cló na Laoí (The Lee Press), Cork ;Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Maurice 1894 births 1921 deaths Irish Republicans killed during the Irish War of Independence People from Cobh Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members 20th-century executions by the United Kingdom People executed by the British military by hanging Executed people from County Cork