Rineen Ambush remembered

THE 90th anniversary of the IRA-led Rineen Ambush in Moy was marked last Sunday, when hundreds of people attended a commemoration ceremony, including Minister for Defence Tony Killeen. The ambush took place on September 22, 1920.

Minister Killeen reviewed the guard of honour provided by members of the 32nd Reserve Infantry Battalion of the Reserve Defence Forces. He then attended a mass of remembrance for the 4th Battalion Mid-Clare Brigade and participants in the War of Independence in North Clare.
Following the mass at St Mary’s Church in Moy, the minister laid a wreath at the Rineen Monument. An exhibition of War of Independence memorabilia was also displayed at the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point.
Six Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) policemen were killed in the ambush, which took place at Dromin Hill, Rineen.
Its purpose was revenge for the murder of Martin Devitt, an Irish soldier who was shot dead in an ambush in February of that year in the locality. A secondary function was to get arms for the poorly equipped volunteers in the area. Men from several battalions took part in the ambush. The companies were from Ennistymon, Lahinch, Inagh, Moy, Glendline, Miltown Malbay and Letterkelly. Most of these, however, were unarmed because of the lack of ammunition. The entire lot of arms consisted of 60 rounds of ammunition, eight rifles, two bombs, two revolvers and 16 shotguns.
The RIC men killed were RIC Sergeant Michael Hynes, along with five other constables, Reginald Hardman, Michael Harte, John Hodnett, Michael Kelly and John Maguire. Last Sunday’s ceremony was attended by a number of people related to the dead RIC men.
The ambush was carried out by men from the 4th Battalion Mid-Clare Brigade led by Ignatius O’Neill (Battalion O/C and ex-soldier with the Irish Guards, British Army). There were about 60 in the ambushing party but only nine had rifles. Among the men who took part were Seamus Hennessy, Peter Vaughan, Dan Kennelly, Steve Gallagher, Michael O’Dwyer, Michael Curtin, Pat Lehane, Sean Burke, Pake Lehane, Dan Lehane, Patso Kerin, Anthony Malone, John Joe Neylon, Owen Nestor, Tom Burke, Alphonsus O’Neill and Ned Hynes.
Thomas Moroney was in charge of the scouts, one of whom was John Clune, who cycled into Miltown Malbay to check when the tender would return. After the attack on the tender, the IRA had not fully withdrawn when the British military, consisting of about 150 soldiers, arrived on the scene. They were on their way to the site of the capture of RM Lendrum. A running pursuit followed with no deaths on either side but O’Neill and Curtin were wounded.
“Volunteers such as those who took part in the ambush were instrumental in laying the foundations for the State that we live in today. Despite the ensuing reprisals, local people supported the freedom movement and took pride in the ambush and that recognition continues unabated today,” Minister Killeen said last Sunday.
The reprisals by the British soldiers started on their return journey to the barracks. Seán Keane, a farmer on a horse and cart, was shot dead near the scene of the ambush. Charlie Lynch, who lived near Miltown Malbay, was also shot dead. Later that night, Miltown Malbay, the town nearest to the scene of the ambush, was hit and a number of business premises and private houses were set on fire.
Last Sunday, Minister Killeen cautioned against the danger of exclusionary commemorations of upcoming historical events.
“Over the next decade, we will mark the centenary of many notable events in our history and it’s important that we do so in an inclusive way and operate on the first principle that commemoration should unite and not divide people of different backgrounds. In remembrance and commemoration, it is essential to bear in mind the complexities of history and the sincerity of motivation on all sides,” he concluded.