Monthly Archives: June 2020

Holdups on the Achill Railway

Old map of Railway to Achill

As the Anglo Irish war progressed throughout 1920, ambushes became more common, even outside the main urban areas. As a guerilla war which relied on ambushes. These localized attacks on usually on police (RIC) stations, where volunteers from the area stole arms of the law keepers, who were usually set free earlier on in the war but as it progressed they didn’t get off so lightly.

Non-compliance with the authorities was another tactic employed, by civilians. One such incident on the Dublin Achill railway line in June 1920 at Castlebar as described in the article below.

Sources

Manchester Evening News 26 June 1920

Irish Independent 30 June 1920

Fishing Gazette 23 September 1899

100 Years Ago

Summer on Achill

Emily, Anita McMahon, Eva O’Flaherty along with Marguerite Chevasse did all they could to bring industry to Achill so that the locals did not have to migrate during the summer months to earn a living. Many islanders traveled mostly to Scotland to help harvest the potato crop, some went to England to in industry there. In June 1920 400 men from the island found employment on the Birkenhead waterworks outside Liverpool. According to the article below entitled “Army of Giants” described “Achill Islanders as splendid specimens of physical strength“. Their work was valued so much that the company overseeing the construction of the waterworks laid on sporting events for their amusement!

The ladies maintained their campaign to bring employment to Achill, which they did with much success but that was after Ireland won independence a year or so later.

Sources

Birmingham Daily Gazette 25 June 1920

Daily Mirror 01 June 1938