Photo: Limerick City - Civil War?

jpb1974

Greetings Limerick folk,

A friend was curious about the attached photo. He reckons it might be Limerick taken during the Civil War.

If you could have a look and let me know your thoughts it would be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks!

Kess73

My first instinct is that is is O'Connell Street with the first junction being the one where Roches street/Shannon street junction.


It does look right for around that era, and if you blow the picture up, the vehicles used in some of the roadblocks would suggest the same.

The small truck across from where Timberland is now looks very like a breeding steam truck or something of that ilk. A number of small trucks (non steam) around that time borrowed heavily from the design of that truck and would have been in Ireland circa 1914 -1922.

jpb1974

Thanks Kess.

View of O'Connell Street, William Street, Sarsfield Street showing barricades during civil war 1923. Limerick Ireland

I've just been told that the above was written on the back of the photo. Does it sound about right to you?

Thanks

Kess73

jpb1974 wrote: »

Thanks Kess.



I've just been told that the above was written on the back of the photo. Does it sound about right to you?

Thanks

I had the wrong junction in mind, but the date sounds right going by the truck in the picture.

phill106

Seen the same, if not very similar photo in one of those history of limerick books in the last few years.
Was it around the same time limerick went soviet?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerick_Soviet
Struggle for independence

Main article: Irish War of Independence


Money printed by the Limerick Soviet in 1919
The IRA and the independence movement of Sinn Féin gained popular support in Limerick following the repressions and executions of 1916. Royal Irish Constabulary carried out violent raids on the homes of suspected Sinn Féin sympathisers. Prisoners were interned without trial in Frongoch camp in North Wales. Following the arrest and death of Robert Byrne, a local republican and trade unionist, most of Limerick city and a part of the county were declared a "Special Military Area under the Defence of the Realm Act". Special permits, to be issued by the RIC, would now be required to enter the city. In response, the Limerick Trades and Labour Council called for a general strike and boycott of the troops. A special strike committee was set up to print their own money and control food prices. The Irish Times referred to this committee as a Limerick Soviet;[33] however, the high degree of involvement of the Catholic Church shows that it was in fact quite different from the recent Bolshevik uprising. An American army officer arriving in Limerick had to appear before the permits committee in order to get a lift to visit relatives outside Limerick, following which he said,
I guess it is some puzzle to know who rules these parts. You have to get a military permit to get in and be brought before a committee to get a permit to leave.
After 14 days the strike ended with a compromise on the permits issue.
Open conflict erupted on Roches Street in April 1920 between the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the general population, involving bayonets on the one side and stones and bottles on the other. The troops fired indiscriminately, killing a publican and an usherette from the Coliseum Cinema. The British Government organised a new force to quell the population. The Black and Tans, known as "the sweepings of English jails", were formed of ex-servicemen. On the night of March 6, 1921, Limerick's Mayor, George Clancy, and his wife were shot in their home by three Tans. On the same night the previous Mayor, Michael O'Callaghan, and Volunteer Joe O'Donoghue were murdered in their own homes after curfew.[34][35] These assassinations became known as the Curfew Murders. IRA reprisals included the unsuccessful attack on six RIC men leaving a pub on Mungret Street and the shooting dead of a Black and Tan on Church Street. A truce between the IRA and the British forces came into effect on July 9, 1921.

jpb1974

Thanks folks. I'll be sure and pass this info onto the owner of the photo. Appreciate it.

Kess73

jpb1974 wrote: »

Thanks folks. I'll be sure and pass this info onto the owner of the photo. Appreciate it.

Keep an eye out in case Kilburn spots the thread. I might be mixing him up with someone else, but I think he has an interest in Limerick's history and a pretty good knowledge on some of it. So he might be able to add more info for you and your friend.

phog

jpb1974 wrote: »

Thanks folks. I'll be sure and pass this info onto the owner of the photo. Appreciate it.

Padraig Og O Ruairc gave a lecture in the city library about the civil war in Limerick has a book out on the topic.

I haven't checked for a contact for him in either link but I'm sure if you need a contact someone here or in the Limerick Library will be able to assist.

Limerick City Library

Padraig's website is here

And you will find his contact details on the 'Contributors & Contact Information' section of the site.

europa11

jpb1974 wrote: »

Thanks Kess.



I've just been told that the above was written on the back of the photo. Does it sound about right to you?

Thanks

Looks that way to me. I'd say it was taken from the top of the old McBirneys' building (afterwards Roches Stores), which burned down along with the Cannocks store on O'Connell St. many years after The Civil War btw. From photos of that store I can recall there was quite a bit of exterior work such as that pillar on McBirneys.

Te foreground is more like Sarsfield St (narrower than O'Connell Street for one thing) and also the image of the right hand side of William St. in the background still has a familiar aspect to it.

Conor Bourke

Saw this. I imagine it'll be of interest to many of you.

For those of you not on bookface, you can check out www.memorylanelimerick.com

Brennans Row

British Troops leaving Limerick with coffin on gun carriage 1922



British Tank, Limerick 1922



RAF Biplane, Limerick 1922



Military truck with mounted searchlight, Limerick 1922



RIC in Armoured Car, Limerick 1920-22

David and Edwin Davison are the team behind one of Ireland's best-known Commercial Photographic companies, Davison & Associates Ltd.

Images as seen on Flickr, but Davison’s web site seems to be dead.

topper75

1922 date seems to be 1 year too late.

AFAIK some Welsh regiment stationed in the city had a goat mascot. Is that tradition carried on by YM rugby club?! :-)

Brennans Row

Year 1922 ?

The image of the military truck with mounted searchlight would fit perfectly with the B’ Mobile Searchlight Group Royal Engineers (1922).

It seems that they were two separate battalions of the Welch Fusiliers.

3rd Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers (1917-1918)
2nd Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers (1918-1922)

Source from book: Images of Sarsfield Barracks – Unit Listing.