According to the Irish Times published on May 1st outside O’Sullivans Pub near Farranfore, Kerry two constables were shot and wounded. RIC Constable Michael Cleary (23) was shot in the right breast while his colleague Constable Thomas
McLoughlin (23) in right arm. The incident took place on Easter Saturday April 22nd, two days before the main outbreak.
The two constables had been posting a martial law proclamation forbidding all meetings and assemblies. They were spotted by Jim Reardon a captain in the Firies Company of the Irish Volunteers. According to Michael Spillane's Witness Statement
" He went over to read it and then tore it down. The two R.I.C. men thought to arrest him and tried to club him with their carbines. Jim Reardon drew his gun and shot them both."
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteThe location of this event was the village of Firies and the actual date of this event was Saturday the 29th April 1916 so it was after the events in Dublin. Jim Riordan fled to the US and eventually Australia where he died in 1947.
Regards