The Battle of Ballinalee 1920

DarkyHughes

Hi, does anyone have any info on this battle. I've searched for it on google & very little about it seems to come up. It seems to be one of the biggest engagements of the WOI bigger than the Customs house battle & much bigger than Kilmichael & around the same size as Crossbarry.

The little bit of info I can find is that 900+ British Army & RIC wanted to burn the town in a reprisal but were repealed by about 300 IRA Volunteers after a day long battle. Estimates of 20 British were killed (maybe even more) & several times that number injured, it unknown how many IRA were killed or injured. It look like the most conventional battle of the war & Volunteers who were suppose to be good only at guerrilla tactics deafeated a much larger conventional force. Surely there would be made about this. The first conventional victory Irish Republicans had over the British since 1798
The brigade was commanded by Sean MacEoin who later at the Clonfin Ambush ordered his men to care for wounded British after his brigade won the battle.

Also does anyone why the British Army/RIC wanted to burn the town, I know it was a reprisal burning but a reprisal for what?

Dr.Nightdub

Have you checked the Bureau of Military History witness statements? Odds are with that number of IRA involved, some of them may have recounted their experiences to the BMH.

johnny_doyle

the reprisal was supposedly for the shooting of DI Philip Kelleher MC in Granard

His brother was another winner of the Military Cross

http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/obituary/brigadier-mortimer-kelleher-obe-mc-frcp-edin

Jesus.

DarkyHughes wrote: »

The first conventional victory Irish Republicans had over the British since 1798?

Not if you include Ridgeway in 1866

DarkyHughes

Jesus. wrote: »

Not if you include Ridgeway in 1866

Good point should have said on Irish soil. There was must of been a lot of Irish Republicans on both Union & Confederate sides in the US Civil warwhich which prepared them for Ridgeway

Ballinalle was the biggest conventional battle battle since 1798 & largest since the the Battle of the Bogsie (which was probably larger than anything from 1798, 1916 & the WOI).

gingernut79

I doubt the numbers are that high. Ballinalee is a really small place. There is a good account of it in a book called the North Longford flying column, a book on Sean mcEoin possibly called the blacksmith of Ballinalee by Padraig o farrell from about 20 years ago. (I live in Ballinalee btw).

Jesus.

ParsleyQueen

Dr.Nightdub wrote: »

Have you checked the Bureau of Military History witness statements? Odds are with that number of IRA involved, some of them may have recounted their experiences to the BMH.

Sean MacEoin has a lengthy statement with the BMH about his experiences--some of it quite entertaining. The BMH also has audio (!) of him recounting his treatment at the hands of the English after he was wounded. Not sure if it was the battle of Ballinalee--I don't have resources available to me right now, but it's definitely worth a read and a listen. I would offer a link, but don't have enough posts.

riffmongous

ParsleyQueen wrote: »

Sean MacEoin has a lengthy statement with the BMH about his experiences--some of it quite entertaining. The BMH also has audio (!) of him recounting his treatment at the hands of the English after he was wounded. Not sure if it was the battle of Ballinalee--I don't have resources available to me right now, but it's definitely worth a read and a listen. I would offer a link, but don't have enough posts.

You can just copy then paste in plain text in a post, and break it up slightly with maybe a space in the .com part or something

httpB/www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=93765019#post93765019

ParsleyQueen

riffmongous wrote: »

You can just copy then paste in plain text in a post, and break it up slightly with maybe a space in the .com part or something

Okay, let's try this. Here's the URL of the audio. MacEoin's is first, but there are other interesting audio recordings.

www. bureauofmilitaryhistory. ie/ voicerecordings. html

riffmongous

ParsleyQueen wrote: »

Okay, let's try this. Here's the URL of the audio. MacEoin's is first, but there are other interesting audio recordings.

www. bureauofmilitaryhistory. ie/ voicerecordings. html

Yep that works, cheers for the link!

http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/voicerecordings.html

ChicagoJoe

I have been on visit to Sean McEoin's cottage outside Ballinlee, worth a visit with a local historian.