99 years ago

[Vern Humphrey]

This is the 99th anniversary of the Ambush at Kilmichael, that brought the British to the negotiating table.

On the Twentieth day of November
The Tans left the town of Macroom
They were riding in big Crosley Tenders
That led them right into their doom.

They were on the road to Kilmichael
And never expected to stall
But they there met the boys of the Column
Who made a clean sweep of them all.

[free1954]

thanks for poem. I have to admit I had to look this up as I had never heard of this before. here's a good write up about it in the irish times. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/h...ence-1.4036590

[oscars]

In 1998, I spent almost a year in a sabbatical at the Queens University of Belfast. I found Belfast to be very safe although there appeared to be free fire zone throughout Northern Ireland. Any how my department chairman was Catholic and gave me some advice not to participate in local politics as I probably did not have adequate background info. He had a few derisive terms to describe know it all Americans (plastic paddy comes to mind) who formed opinions based on an evening or two in the Temple Bar.