Gather round. Listen to the tale of young Tadhg (Tige) O'Sullivan and his ambush on the British General Strickland near Barrack Street in the city center. So Tadhg, a young 24 year old van driver from county Kerry, Battalion Commander in the Cork Brigade of the IRA, the Irish Republican Army, ambushes the British General Strickland, who was in charge of 12,500 British Army troops in Cork city and County.

The ambush goes off with mixed success. Tadhg and his Battalion inflict casualties on the British General's convoy. General Strickland himself gets away. Tadhg however, is spotted by a British military intelligence officer during the ambush on the General - "that's Tadhg, we know him. Let's get him!" Tadhg has to flee the city of Cork. He goes on-the-lam for five months, leaves the city. Eventually he decides to come back. He thinks the heat is off.

The heat is not off. The British army and the British government are still actively looking and hunting for Tadhg. He's spotted just a few hundred yards away from the ambush site in an ancient area of Cork City Center known as South Parish. He immediately goes into hiding again. The RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary), the Crown Police Service, the British police, form a cordon around the entire area of the South Parish. They start tightening the noose, guns drawn, kicking in doors, asking anyone who they can find ;"Where's Tadhg? Where's Tadhg? Where's Tadhg? We know Tadhg's around here somewhere."

Tadhg is roused from his hiding place and comes walking down Douglas Street towards his home when he's spotted by another RIC policeman. The policeman shouts after Tadhg "Halt, Tadhg. You're under arrest." Tadhg looks back. Tadhg is not armed. The policeman, he is armed.

So Tadhg does, what we say in Cork-speak, we'd say Tadhg legs it. He tries to escape from the policeman. He runs down Barrack Street. The policeman, hot-on-his-heels the whole time. Tadhg ducks into a house, runs upstairs, climbs out the back window. That's when the policeman catches him.

The Crown policeman reaches into his tunic, pulls out his revolver - his loaded revolver, points it at Tadhg. And - without warning - bang, bang, bang, bang. Shoots Tadhg seven times in the back. Poor Tadhg O'Sullivan, dead where he falls. Tadhg is buried in St. Finbarr's Cemetery, a Republican heroes’ cemetery near Wilton. His coffin is draped with the Irish tricolor (the Irish flag). And there’s more rousing speeches for Tadhg at his funeral. You've killed one hero. 100 more heroes will step up and take his place. Now let’s examine Tadhg’s assassination a little further.

There were two main reasons Tadhg was killed. The first reason, Tadhg had attacked a British general in the heart of Cork City during Wartime. This was not going to go unnoticed. The authorities were after Tadhg. Now the second reason I'll come to in a second, but first of all, let's explore why war is young men dying, old men talking.

So Tadhg and his battalion inflicted casualties on the British convoy when they attacked General Strickland. A young British corporal whose name was John Gordon Squibbs, died heroically in that battle trying to save his comrades. John Gordon's Squibbs, a 17 year old from the Isle of White is dead on the front lines. Then Tadhg, a young 24 year old, five months later, gets killed by an RIC policeman. So the two young men with the least to gain from the war - absolutely nothing to gain from the war. Do the dying on the front line.

Meanwhile, General Strickland, the old man gets away, gets out of the Tadhg's ambush and dies an old man in England after the war. On the Irish side, we had an old politician and sometime fighter known as DeVelera. DeVelera dies an old man up in Dublin as the Irish leader.

So guys, the old men Strickland and DeVelera, who were involved in the truce negotiations ie. The old men with everything to gain from the war, do the talking, the young men - with the least to gain from the war. They do the dying. So can you see how Wars are old men talking and young men dying?

Okay, now guys, the second reason Tadhg was killed. The real reason Tadhg was killed. There was a new Sheriff in town...the RIC police Commissioner, known as Colonel Smyth. Colonel Smyth was known to the Rebels, the Irish Republican side as Colonel 'Shoot-on-Sight' Smyth, because his first order to his officers, when he was given the role of police Commissioner was...shoot on sight any Irish person not immediately complying with orders. So what did this mean, guys? It meant if you were an Irishman and you were told to take your hands out of your pockets by a police officer or soldier, and you failed to do so immediately. The officers were under orders to shoot to kill immediately. If you fail to stop walking, when told to stop walking, bang - shoot to kill. If you talking back to a police officer under any circumstances or mouthing off, this was worthy of being shot under Colonel Smyth or Colonel 'Shoot-on-Sight' Smith's orders.

Now the Irish Rebel side, they take note of this particular order and they're out to get Colonel Smyth. Colonel Smyth decides to come to town to meet his friend, the High Commissioner of Cork City. He's going to meet his friend in Cork City Country Club on the South Mall in the city. The Irish Rebels, the Cork Brigade of the Irish Republican army. They have a spy inside in Cork City Country Club. They know Colonel Smyth is coming to town and they throw Colonel Smyth what might be euphemistically termed as a welcoming party. So we'll find out what happened to Colonel Smyth. In our next story, we'll head down to the South Mall, Cork's main Business street and we'll hear the story of Colonel Smyth. We’ll also round out his character a little. Guys, we'll talk a little bit about the Colonel and his background.

Self-guided Rebel Walking Tour of Cork City

(Click on a map marker and scroll down for stories)

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