Tag Archives: centenary

MIKE McTigue beats Battling Siki was the headline of the lead story  in The Clare Champion the week after the Kilnamona man took the World Light Heavyweight title on St Patrick’s Day 1923. Sub-headlines read ‘Clareman’s wonderful display’ and ‘Triumph of brain over brawn’. The paper had pictures of the two fighters across its front page, while the lead story described the excitement and anticipation that gripped the county, as people waited for news from Dublin. “Ennis was agog with excitement on Saturday evening, anxiously awaiting the result of the fight between Battling Siki and Mike McTigue for the light heavyweight championship of the world and the heavyweight championship of Europe. “Large crowds arrived from the most distant parts of the county and from 8.30pm onwards, rumours and counter rumours with regard to the result of the contest filled the air. (See rather grainy footage from the fight on YouTube link below) “The suspense was almost unbearable and great was …

THE Bunratty Manor hotel was the venue for the official launch of the 170-page Centenary Book of the ambush at Glenwood which took place on January 20, 1921.  This launch, which had previously been deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, was performed by the Mayor of Clare, Councillor PJ Ryan. The Council chairperson was assisted by Mr Flan McCarthy and Mr Mick Ryan, who are joint presidents of the Glenwood Ambush Memorial Committee.  The publication contains a number of different versions of what actually happened on ambush day in January 1921, and accounts of the later reprisals by the Black and Tans. There are some details too of a number of the participating volunteers, in as much as was possible for researchers to get the information. These include Martin ‘Neighbour’ McNamara, Joe Clancy, Tom McGrath, Mattie McGrath, James Hogan, Paddy McCarthy, Jackie Ryan, Jimmy McInerney, Miko Neville, Dinny Minogue, Mick Moloney, Mick Shaughnessy, Tom McInerney, Michael Cleary, Peter St Ledger, …

A SECOND commemorative plaque has been installed at the site of the Glenwood Ambush in East Clare, remembering those who risked their lives by sheltering and feeding IRA volunteers on the run at the time. A new commemorative booklet is also being planned, with the Glenwood Memorial Committee appealing to the public to get in touch if they have details they would like included. Six RIC members were killed when a Flying Column from the East Clare Brigade attacked their lorry at Glenwood on January 20, 1921. The attack led to a series of reprisals and attacks on residents across the south-east of the county as the War of Independence raged. A scaled back commemoration event took place in January to mark the centenary and work to remember the anniversary continues. “Since then we have mounted a second plaque which was sculptured by our great friend Michael McTigue as part of the 100th year commemoration of the ambush at Glenwood,” …

THE first Clare Champion of the month of October 1920 contains fascinating reports of the Rineeen ambush and the actions of the State forces in the aftermath, as they caused devastation in the local area. A lengthy report opens stating that, “A special representative of The Clare Champion visited Ennistymon and Lahinch on Saturday to ascertain as far as possible the nature and extent of the reprisals carried out there, following the tragic and fatal attack on the police on Black Hill, in which six policemen were shot dead.” Describing the recent events as a “painful chapter in history”, it dealt with the ambush first. “All the police in the wagon were shot dead,and the body of one policeman was, it is stated riddled with bullets.” While it said that obtaining all the correct information about the reprisals was not easy, “what is known is quite sufficient to bring home to all concerned the terrible realities of the present situation …

JIMMY Sexton is the oldest surviving Kilmurry Ibrickane footballer. Almost 86, Jimmy made his adult debut for Mullagh in 1943 and while the his local club were not senior for the duration of his career, he has been part of several senior championship successes in his role as a selector. “When I was 11 years old I went on as a sub with the juniors. They were short a player,” he recounted in Quilty last Saturday. “We had a poor team. We won junior and intermediate with Mullagh in the 50s but we couldn’t produce a senior team. I never played senior here but I played senior with Clohanes believe it or not. We were beaten in the Cusack Cup final. Three of us from Mullagh played with Clohanes and two from Quilty played with Miltown. It was around 1954,” he recalled. Jimmy played minor and senior football for Clare before a knee injury finished him. His subsequent contribution to …

Commemorations have taken place all over Europe this year, marking the centenary of the beginning of World War I. The Great War raged for more than four years, ending on November 11, 1918. On Tuesday, the anniversary of Armistice Day, Irish soldiers were remembered in South Galway. Commemorative badges, manufactured and designed by students in Gort Community School, were distributed at a ceremony of remembrance, as students and staff recalled the forgotten Irish volunteers. Young people in fourth year conducted a project with the goal of remembering the 150,000 Irish who fought in the war. Their project was cross-curricular taking in a number of subjects and departments. “As part of the project, they looked for a symbol to represent the volunteers but the only symbol they came across was the poppy. Many of the class were unhappy to use the poppy, as they felt they wanted to have something original that would remember just the Irish,” explained history teacher and …

Ollie Byrnes THIS year marks the centenary of Clare’s first All-Ireland hurling championship win.  As we continue to enjoy being current holders of the Liam MacCarthy Cup, it is only fitting that we look back 100 years to honour and remember the men who won the senior and junior hurling championship double in 1914. It was a very different world then.   In European terms, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand lit the fuse that plunged the continent into the Great War in August 1914.  Women didn’t have the vote and Emily Parkhurst, pioneer of women’s emancipation, was jailed for protesting outside Buckingham Palace, and not for the first time.  In Ireland, we still lived under British Rule.  Independence was on many people’s minds and life was a struggle. In hurling terms, life and work impacted on training and opportunity.  These days, the All-Ireland championship is a sophisticated journey involving coaches, motivators, nutritionists and media appearances.  In 1914, it was a …