Episode 22 – Irish War of Independence
In the hopes of stopping Sinn Féin’s dramatic growth the British government introduced proportional representation for all local elections held in Ireland in 1920. But just as it did in the 1918 general election, Sinn Féin stormed the polls and were in a position to appoint a number of Lord Mayors when the new councils met on the 30th of January.
In Cork, a respected member of the Gaelic League and a veteran of the Irish Volunteers, Tomás MacCurtin, was elected when the opposition failed to agree on a candidate but his tenure would be short lived.
On the 20th of March 1920 MacCurtin was killed during a raid on his house by individuals with blackened faces. British authorities said it was the result of an internal feud in the IRA but evidence pointed to a murder squad set up within the RIC.
Credit to The Irish Nation Lives