Bachelor's Walk massacre

Bachelor's Walk massacre
LocationBachelors Walk
Date26 July 1914
WeaponsBaton, Rifle
Deaths4
Injured30+
PerpetratorKing's Own Scottish Borderers
Bachelor's Walk in 2009 as seen from O'Connell Bridge

The Bachelor's Walk massacre occurred in Dublin, on 26 July 1914, when a column of troops of the King's Own Scottish Borderers opened fire on a crowd on Bachelor's Walk.[1] The incident, which followed the Howth gun-running operation, resulted in the deaths of four civilians and injuries to more than 30 more.

History

The Bachelor's Walk massacre followed shortly after the Howth gun-running which involved the landing of 1,500 rifles and ammunition, purchased for the Irish Volunteers in Hamburg in May 1914. In a counter operation to the Unionists running guns into Ulster, Erskine Childers landed the cargo in Howth and a thousand rifle-carrying Irish Volunteers marched into Dublin. The quantity was negligible when compared to the far greater numbers of weapons landed and distributed by the Ulster Volunteers, completely without hindrance, but the reaction this time was severe from the British ruling authorities.[2]

After previously being involved in an attempted seizure of the imported weapons, a column of troops from the King's Own Scottish Borderers were marching back to their barracks.[1] After some verbal baiting,[3] the soldiers attacked a gathering of "hostile but unarmed" protesters on Bachelor's Walk with rifle fire and bayonets – resulting in the deaths of four civilians and injuries to in excess of 30 more.[4][5][6][7] The four killed were Mary Duffy (50), Patrick Quinn (50), James Brennan (18) and Sylvester Pidgeon (40) who succumbed to his wounds on 24 September.[7] One of those shot was Luke Kelly, the father of folk singer Luke Kelly.[8]

The incident proved a moment of political opportunity for Irish nationalists as it sharply brought out the different treatment for the Unionists and for unarmed Dublin civilians. Patrick Pearse declared, "The army is an object of odium, and the Volunteers are the heroes of the hour. The whole movement, the whole country, has been re-baptised by bloodshed for Ireland".[9][10]

The Royal Commission on the day's events determined that the police and army did not act according to the law and that the soldiers were not in sufficient danger to justify the use to firearms.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "Three people shot dead by British soldiers on Bachelors Walk". Century Ireland. RTE.ie. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "How UVF brought 20,000 guns into Ulster politics". Belfast Telegraph. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  3. ↑ Connolly, J.S.; Oxford Companion to Irish History, page 263-4. Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-19-923483-7
  4. ↑ "Bachelors Walk Massacre Memoiral [sic] Plaque Fundraiser". Politics.ie. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Dan Payne (26 July 2014). "Ireland's Media War of 1914: the Bachelors Walk lessons | Slugger O'Toole". Sluggerotoole.com. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  6. ↑ "No memorial for Bachelor's Walk victims". Century Ireland. RTE.ie. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Minister Heather Humphreys Announces Arrangements for Commemoration of Asgard landing of arms at Howth and Bachelors Walk event". Press Release. MerrionStreet.ie. 16 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Duffy's book tells the forgotten stories of 40 children Rising killed". independent.
  9. ↑ Ronan Fanning (2013). Fatal Path: British Government and Irish Revolution 1910-1922. Faber & Faber. p. 129. ISBN 9780571297412.
  10. ↑ "Death on Bachelor's Walk - 26 July 1914". Irish History. TurtleBunbury.com. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "Behaviour of British Army after Howth Gun running was 'illegal and unjustifiable'". Century Ireland. RTE. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  • Royal Commission on the circumstances connected with the landing of arms at Howth on 26th July, 1914 (1914). Report. Command papers. Vol. Cd. 7631. London: HMSO.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  • Royal Commission on the circumstances connected with the landing of arms at Howth on 26th July, 1914 (1914). Minutes of evidence; with Appendices and Index. Command papers. Vol. Cd. 7649. London: HMSO.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

53°20′50″N 6°15′40″W / 53.3471°N 6.2612°W / 53.3471; -6.2612


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