Burning of the Custom House
IRA attack on The Custom House in Dublin / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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On 25 May 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, the Custom House in Dublin was occupied and then burnt in an operation by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The Custom House was the headquarters of the Local Government Board for Ireland, an agency of the British administration in Ireland, against which the IRA was fighting in the name of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic. The operation, involving over 100 IRA volunteers, was a propaganda coup for the republicans but a military disaster for the IRA in the Irish capital. A force of British Auxiliaries quickly arrived and a gun battle erupted. Five IRA volunteers were killed (John Doyle, Edward Dorins, Daniel Head, Captain Patrick & Lieutenant Stephen O'Reilly),[1] along with three civilians, and about 80 volunteers were captured.[2]
Burning of the Custom House | |||||||
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Part of the Irish War of Independence | |||||||
The Custom House in flames | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Irish Republican Army |
Royal Irish Constabulary (Auxiliary Division), British Army | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Tom Ennis | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
c.120 |
c.120 Auxiliaries at first; members of Wiltshire Regiment arrived later | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
5 killed 3 wounded 70–80 captured | 4 wounded | ||||||
3 civilians killed, 7 wounded |
The operation was the largest action in Dublin by rebels since the Easter Rising.[3]