Barrack Street Ambush

Barrack Street, Cork where the ambush took place. The lorry was halted as it emerged from Cove Street (the lane left centre of picture). The attack was launched from old buildings on the right, since demolished.

At 8.40 on the morning of Friday, October 9, 1920, a military lorry drove through Cove Street on its way to Elizabeth Fort, headquarters of the Auxiliaries in Cork. The immediate area was thronged with workers and school-going children at the time. As it stopped at the junction of Cove Street and Barrack Street the lorry came under attack from a company of IRA volunteers, under the command of Commandant Mick Murphy and Captain Tadhg O'Sullivan. It was raked with gunfire and four bombs were thrown from ruined buildings overlooking the ambush site.

As one of the bombs landed in the back of the lorry a 17-year-old soldier, John Gordon Squibbs from the Isle of Wight, attempted to throw it out. It exploded in his hand before he could do so and he later died from shock and loss of blood after his arm was blown off.

Three other soldiers were injured as well as one of the attackers. Four civilians were also injured in the attack and. After the ambush the 15-20 attackers escaped up Cove Street and surrounding laneways.

Following the ambush, the local Sullivan's Quay school was closed for the day and many local people left their homes for safer parts of the city, fearing retaliation from British forces after the inscription "revenge tonight" was cut into the parapet of the nearby South Gate Bridge.