Sacrifice and Retribution
21st November 1920
One of the most infamous days of the Irish War of Independence with more than 30 people killed in only twelve hours. It was a day that found three seperate events of violence that would severly damage British intelligence and increse support for the IRA at home and abroad. Starting with the assassinations of eleven suspected British intelligence officers directed by Michael Collins. Followed by a massacre at a football match commited by Crown forces and ending with the killing of two IRA officers and a civillian.
On the morning of November 21, 1920, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), under Michael Collins's orders, executed a coordinated series of assassinations targeting British intelligence operatives in Dublin. Over a dozen locations were raided, resulting in the deaths of 15 individuals, including intelligence officers and suspected agents. Among the notable incidents, Lt. Peter Ames and Capt. George Bennett, leaders of British intelligence units, were killed at 38 Upper Mount Street. However, two innocent civilians were also mistakenly targeted, raising questions about the accuracy of intelligence used by the IRA. As Collins later stated, his goal was "the destruction of the undesirables who continue to make miserable the lives of ordinary decent citizens."
My one intention was the destruction of the undesirables who continue to make miserable the lives of ordinary decent citizens. … If I had a second motive it was no more than a feeling I would have for a dangerous reptile … There is no crime in detecting and destroying, in wartime, the spy and the informer.
— Michael Collins
This operation, while being a succefull attempt at weaking the British intelligence efforts in Ireland, also cause an escalation in the violence and brutality of the War. Collins' effectiveness in coordinating efforts with the IRA was proven capable after this November morning but a criticism that followed was the aftermath of their efforts bringing mass collateral.
Later that afternoon, Crown forces retaliated by attacking a crowd gathered at a Gaelic football match between Tipperary and Dublin at Croke Park. A combined force of Black and Tans, Auxiliaries, and the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) opened fire, killing 14 civilians, including a 10-year-old boy and a football player, Michael Hogan, for whom the Hogan Stand in Croke Park is named.
This tragedy that showcased the aimless violence used by British forces caused outrage by the masses. Excuses giving by the British of a search for present IRA members at the park was condemed unfavorably by investigators. The actions made that day by Crown forces in Ireland forever damged their reputation.
On the evening of Bloody Sunday, three prisoners—Brigadier Dick McKee, Vice-Brigadier Peadar Clancy, and a civilian, Conor Clune—were executed in Dublin Castle. The men had been captured the previous day and were subjected to brutal interrogations. Official reports claimed they were killed while attempting to escape, but accounts from within the castle