Leitrim’s Bloody Sunday
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The date of Friday, 11th March 1921, will be forever etched in the memory of those who follow history. This was Leitrim’s ‘Bloody Sunday’, when six young men were gunned down in their prime by the Black n Tans writes Cormac O Súilleabháin, Author of Leitrim’s Republican Story
In every conflict there is always an event or tragedy which stands out above all others. Something that strikes a chord within people and never leaves your mind. For the people of Leitrim, the Selton Hill Ambush is that event.
The date of Friday, 11th March 1921 will be forever etched in the memory of those who follow history, not to mention the descendants of the families affected and the generations gone, and to come. This was Leitrim’s “Bloody Sunday”, when six young men were gunned down in their prime by members of the Hampshire Regiment in the most defining engagement of the Tan War in Leitrim. In such situations many often could rightly cite the words
» Seán Mac Brádaigh
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the Selton Hill ambush - a significant engagement in the Tan War and a tragic chapter in the story of Co. Leitrim and the struggle for Irish freedom.
On Friday, 11th March 1921, the IRA’s Leitrim No. 2 Flying Column was ambushed by British forces at Selton Hill, which lies on the road between Mohill and Ballinamore.
Six officers of the Leitrim IRA are killed. They were Sean Connolly (Ballinalee), John Joe O’Reilly (Miskawn, Aughnasheelin), another John Joe O’Reilly (Derrinkeher McDonald, Aughnasheelin), Michael Baxter (Bawnboy), Séamus Wrynn (Drumcroman, Ballinamore) and Joe O’Beirne (Bornacoola).