The Burning of Cork

by Gerry White, Brendan O'Shea

On the night of 11 December 1920 Cork City was to experience an unprecedented night of terror and destruction at the hands of the British forces of law and order. The Irish War of Independence was raging out of control and Cork was in the eye of the storm. It was a guerrilla war fuelled by reprisal and counter reprisal - the city streets became the battleground of a bloody and personalised war of attrition. With over five acres of the city destroyed and an estimated 20 million pounds worth of damage, the burning of Cork is recognised as the most extensive single act of vandalism in the entire period of the nationalist struggle in Ireland. The burning of Cork cannot be regarded as an isolated incident. In the nine months leading up to the night, Cork city witnessed an ever escalating cycle of violence as attacks by the Volunteers were answered by the predictable reprisal by the crown forces. With two lord mayors dead and various high profile officers of the British authority kidnapped or assassinated, the fuse had been lit for the events that would unfold on the night Cork City was burnt.

Genres: History, Military History

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2006

Reviews

[Jacob Lehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

My great-grandfather was from Cork. I was completely ignorant of this episode in the city's history, and the casual cruelty is heartbreaking, while also feeling timely in the face of US struggles with the purpose of police.

I read this book as a part of my project to read one book from every aisle in Olin Library. You can read more about the project, find reactions to other books, and (eventually) a fuller reaction to this one here: https://jacobklehman.com/library-read

[Kevin O Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great account of a dramatic historical time in Irish history, the burning of the city of Cork by the Black & Tans in 1920. Includes lots of source material and eyewitness accounts.