The centre of Cork after being burnt by British Black and Tans paramilitaries, 1920 On 21 January 1919, Irish Volunteers from the 3rd Tipperary Brigade lay in wait for a Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) patrol, guarding explosives on the move from a nearby quarry. As the horse-drawn cart, carrying 160lb of gelignite, approached the position of the ambush party, the Volunteers, led by Sean Treacy and Dan Breen, called for the RIC men to surrender and then opened fire. Both RIC officers, James McDonnell and Patrick O’Connell, were killed. The Soloheadbeg ambush was the first engagement in what...