The Crossbarry Ambush (for all you Cork langers)
Not that any of you societal misfits probably care, but today is the 90th anniversary of the Crossbarry Ambush, one of the few definitive military victories for the IRA* during the War of Independence.
Following the disastrous Upton train ambush a month before, Tom Barry's flying column of about 100 IRA men was loose and on the run in west Cork, but the British had gleaned intelligence from a captured Volunteer indicating where Barry's HQ was. They mobilised over 1,000 regular soldiers, Auxiliaries and RIC policemen and prepared an operation to encircle and destroy the IRA column while it was resting near Crossbarry.
Converging on the crossroads from several directions, the flying column was completely surprised, and Barry scrambled to deploy his men against the encircling British. With only 40 rounds per Volunteer, he realised that engaging the British in a pitched battle was not an option and decided to try to break out of the encirclement.
The first shots were fired at about 8am, as the first British trucks reached Crossbarry crossroads. As the flying column attempted to move west, they were attacked by two more British detachments as the noose started to tighten, but the flying column was well dug in and the British retreated in confusion, suffering between 10-30 casualties.
While the British were disoriented, Barry, who had lost between 3-6 men dead, marched his men north towards the high ground of Gurranereigh. The clash had lasted for over an hour.
The Crossbarry battle cemented Tom Barry's reputation as a dangerous and respected guerilla commander. I find it interesting as another historical example of how a small guerilla force, knowing the terrain, outfought and outmaneuvered a superior opponent.
http://www.coppeenheritage.com/blog/...rossbarry1.jpg
http://webworxhost.com/theirishwar/w.../tom_barry.jpg
Also, this is a cutting from the old Irish Press newspaper.
http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/...rosssbarry.gif
So I suppose you Cork lads can feel a bit of pride. But not too much, because you're still all cuntflap langers :D