ROINN COSANTA. BUREAU OF MILITARY HISTORY, 1913-21 ...

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-15-men to return home. I left instructions for theriflemen to snipe any lorries or enemy that might passalong the road and move towards Ballymoe that night,which they did. Three lorries of R.I.C. and Tans fromTuam came along, and were sniped. Whilst sniping wasin progress, four lorries of R.I.C. and Tans came inthe opposite direction from Dunmore. They dismounted,got in across fields and nearly had our unit surrounded,when they retired towards Lavally after exchange of fireand dusk came on. District Inspector O'Callaghan fromTuam was wounded in this operation.Battalion Commandant James Maloney and 1 went toRoscommon and met the officer from G.H.Q. who wasspecially sent by Director of Intelligence, GeneralMichael Collins, to arrange to intercept a convoy ofrifles, ammunition and other equipment that was beingsent from Athlone to Claremorris. The plan was toattack the convoy at Dunamon railway station. This wason a Saturday, and the convoy was to pass on thefollowingMonday.Although we were actually in the brigadeadjutant's house Quigley's, as far as I can rememberand the despatch had been addressed early on Saturday toSouth Mayo, neither the South Roscommon nor the SouthMayo units turned up, and the officer from G.H.Q. calledoff this operation on Monday morning. Maloney and Iasked him to attempt the operation with our brigadeA.S..U., but he refused. I hope that this officer fromG.H.Q. (Sean McMahon) is still alive and can verify.It was not Sean McMahoh who was then Q.M.G. We placedscouts at the railway station, and we found that theconvoy did pass on Monday only one N.C.O. and seventeensoldiers.
-16-We again lay in ambush at a place called Kilnalagg,Polredmond, on the Dunmore-Williamstown road, andoccupied this position for two nights and three days.During this occupation, an aeroplane came over us,flying very low, but I assumed that it was only scoutingthe road for some important enemy officer who might becoming along. Otherwise, we could easily have broughtit down. Unfortunately, I was wrong in my assumption(which I will always regret).Again we had to evacuate this position as toomany people knew of our presence. Before we left thisposition, on the third evening, we got all the localpeople to cut and block these roads, and I told them toget away if they heard any shooting as I put a sectionon either side of them for their protection.We moved on from there to a place called Park,near Clonberne, which was then the only road left openfrom Dunmore to Glenamaddy and Williamstown, bit againwithoutresult.There was agrarian trouble at a place calledForth Brown, and R.I.C. and Black and Tans had beaten uptenants, in a village named Ballinahown, who were causingtrouble to a man named John Henry Burke, now residing inCo. Meath. I thought that It would be an ideal wayto get the enemy to come out. So I arranged a goodcattle drive off his lain, and instructed the Volunteersfrom the local company, Cortoon and Cloonberne, to driveBurke's cattle and sheep on towards Moylough, and toreturn home when they had done so. This was done, andwe lay in ambush at Freaney's Cross, Clonberne. We hada very good position here, on both side of the road.
Page 2: STATEMENT BY PATRICK DUNLEAVY,Barbe
Page 7 and 8: -6-best pal for a time was the late
Page 9 and 10: -8-At Easter 1920, I took part with
Page 11 and 12: -10-Shortly after this, R.I.C. and
Page 13 and 14: -12-After locating the concealed ri
Page 15: -l4-the R.I.C. and military who lat
Page 19 and 20: -18-column for this operation. Othe
Page 21 and 22: -20-We then moved on to the opposit
Page 23 and 24: -22-and then only in great strength
Page 25 and 26: -24-function early in 1921 as judge
Page 27: APPENDIXTuam Battalion ten Companie

ROINN COSANTA. BUREAU OF MILITARY HISTORY, 1913-21 ...

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