The Dromkeen ambush took place on 3 February 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, at Dromkeen in

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Ireland, Province , subd ...

. The

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...

(IRA) ambushed a

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

(RIC) patrol, killing 11 policemen.

Ambush

The ambush was carried out by the

flying column A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ''ad hoc'' unit, formed during the course of operations. The term is usually, though not necessarily, appli ...

s of the East and Mid Limerick Brigades IRA, some 40 riflemen, under the command of Donnocha O'Hannigan commander of East Limerick Brigade Flying Column and Richard O'Connell commander of the Mid Limerick Brigade. Some time earlier the RIC had found the arms dump of the Mid-Limerick Brigade. Only one IRA volunteer—Liam Hayes—was wounded. Only two of the RIC got away. Nine were killed in action and another two were executed after being taken prisoner. Three of the dead RIC officers were Irish and the rest were British

Black and Tans Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

. In reprisal, British forces burnt ten homes and farms in the area. It has been claimed that three of the RIC dead were executed after they had surrendered. Particular suspicion for this alleged killing of prisoners has fallen on Maurice Meade, a former British soldier who was captured by the Germans in the First World War and had joined

Roger Casement Roger David Casement ( ga, Ruairí Dáithí Mac Easmainn; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during Worl ...

's Irish Brigade. In reprisal, at least eight local properties were destroyed. In February 2009, up to 2,000 people turned up for the unveiling of a memorial to the ambush.

References

Military actions and engagements during the Irish War of Independence History of County Limerick Royal Irish Constabulary Conflicts in 1921 Police misconduct during the Irish War of Independence February 1921 events in Europe Ambushes in Europe {{Ireland-hist-stub