HomePublished Books46 Men Dead: The Royal Irish Constabulary in County Tipperary 1919-22

46 Men Dead: The Royal Irish Constabulary in County Tipperary 1919-22

By: John Reynolds
Publisher: The Collins Press
Published: May 2016
Pages: 344
Categories: History
Language: English
Available as: Paperback
On sale at:
ISBN-13: 9781848892729
ISBN: 1848892721
ASIN: 1848892721

In January 1919, at Soloheadbeg in County Tipperary, two members of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) were killed by the IRA. In the four bloody years that followed, nearly 500 RIC men were killed and hundreds more wounded. In Tipperary alone, 46 policemen were killed, making it one of most violent counties in Ireland. The popular image of the RIC is that they were the 'eyes and ears of Dublin Castle', an oppressive colonial force policing its fellow countrymen. But the truth is closer to home: many were Irishmen who joined because it was a secure job with prospects and a pension at the end of service. When confronted with a volunteer army of young and dedicated guerrilla fighters, it was unable to cope. When the conflict ended, the RIC was disbanded, not at the insistence of the Provisional Government, but of its own members. This thought-provoking book shows the grim reality of the conflict in Tipperary was a microcosm for the wider battles of the War of Independence.

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