Volunteers needed, War of Independence Living History project...

The BMH files and the more recently released Pension files are much more educational and entertaining. Your clip has anecdotal mundane comment and is boringly repetitive e.g. ‘felling trees, digging trenches’ was mentioned many times, once to aid the escapr of those who ‘burned barracks’. Those burned invariably were isolated and unoccupied, so escape from what? If that clip is an example of the quality and is trying to sell the project, give up now, 'posterity' (your word) doesn't need duirt bean lion go nduirt bean lei etc banal nonsense.

PS Are you even aware that in September 1920, a Cork IRA Brigade was unique in the War of Independence in seizing a British Army barracks? The one at Mallow, a stone’s throw from Ballyclogh? The Army was so incensed that in revenge they subsequently burned several buildings in Mallow’s Main Street, including the Town Hall.

Do you know if it was the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Cork Brigade, as September 1920 would have been around the time Tom Barry became I think 2nd in command of the 3rd Brigade?

Yes, that was the Mallow raid. The IRA left with a load of ammunition, rifles and a couple of Hotchkiss machine guns. From memory it was the troops who did the burning.

A few occupied RIC barracks were taken, very early on there was one in Kerry (Gort something, between Tralee and Castleisland) and a few in Cork, notably one in Carrigtwohill that surrendered after its gable wall was destroyed by explosives. Mostly it was for PR, militarily it was not strategic. Most RIC Barracks were empty when destroyed – about 500-600 of the more remote barracks / outposts were abandoned and the RIC reposted to larger centres. Within a few months about three quarters were destroyed to prevent reoccupation.