53-677: IRA victory The Rineen ambush was an ambush carried out by the Mid Clare Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 22 September 1920, during the Irish War of Independence . The attack took place at Drummin Hill in the townland of Drummin, near the hamlet of Rineen (or Rinneen), County Clare . The IRA's Mid-Clare Brigade attacked a Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) lorry, killing six officers. Shortly afterwards,
106-540: A kill zone is a hallmark of good troops and training in any ambush situation. Ambushes were widely used by the Lusitanians , in particular by their chieftain Viriathus . Their usual tactic, called concursare , involved repeatedly charging and retreating, forcing the enemy to eventually give them chase, to set up ambushes in difficult terrain where allied forces would be awaiting. In his first victory, he eluded
159-405: A concealed position. The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an " ambush ". Ambushes as a basic fighting tactic of soldiers or of criminals have been used consistently throughout history, from ancient to modern warfare . The term "ambush" is also used in animal behavior studies, journalism , and marketing to describe methods of approach and strategy. In
212-421: A forward patrol harbour from which the attacking force will deploy, and to which they will retire after the attack. Ambushes are complex multiphase operations and are therefore usually planned in some detail. First, a suitable killing zone is identified. This is where the ambush will be laid, where enemy units are expected to pass, and gives reasonable cover for the deployment, execution, and extraction phases of
265-531: A further eight were razed in Milltown Malbay . A separate RIC raid took place in Ennistymon, in which several homes and businesses were burned. In this raid they killed Tom Connole, the secretary of the local ITGWU trade union, and burned his home. PJ Linnane, a 15-year-old boy, was also shot dead by the police. In what may have been a belated reprisal for the ambush, four IRA men were arrested by
318-531: A hairdresser and a barber's shop. Other businesses are, amongst others, three supermarkets, a hardware shop, a haberdashery, a post office, a bridal shop, a bookmaker's office, a pizzeria/burger takeaway, a Chinese takeaway, a fish & chip takeaway, a clothes shop, and a beauty salon. There are two pharmacies and three restaurants in the town. There are two medical practices and veterinarian practice. The town has two petrol stations and two vehicle repair workshops. There are 4 primary schools and 1 secondary school in
371-541: A nearby avenue of approach to delay enemy reinforcements. When deploying into an ambush site, the NVA first occupied several observation posts, placed to detect the enemy as early as possible and to report on the formation it was using, its strength and firepower, as well as to provide early warning to the unit commander. Usually, one main OP and numerous secondary OPs were established. Runners and radios were used to communicate between
424-635: A raid against the Quraysh . His group consisted of about twenty Muhajirs. This raid was about a month after the previous one. Sa'd, with his soldiers, set up an ambush in the valley of Kharrar on the road to Mecca and waited to raid a Meccan caravan returning from Syria. However, the caravan had already passed and the Muslims returned to Medina without any loot. Arab tribes during Muhammad's era also used ambush tactics. One example retold in Muslim tradition
477-436: A roughly constructed coffin and left it on the railway tracks at Craggaknock railway station for British forces to find. On 22 September 1957, a cut stone monument depicting an I.R.A. soldier in uniform was unveiled by Rev. Dr. Rodgers, Bishop of Killaloe, at Drummin Hill where the ambush took place. The memorial cost just over £1200 to erect, and was financed by subscriptions from the U.S.A., alongside donations from veterans of
530-631: A stratagem to surprise the enemy". When the Roman infantry became entangled in combat with his army, the hidden ambush force attacked the Roman infantry in the rear. The result was slaughter and defeat for the Romans. Nevertheless, the battle also displays the effects of good tactical discipline on the part of the ambushed force. Although most of the legions were lost, about 10,000 Romans cut their way through to safety, maintaining unit cohesion . This ability to maintain discipline and break out or maneuver away from
583-438: A successful ambush. They took cover in difficult forested terrain, allowing the warriors time and space to mass without detection. They had the element of surprise, and this was also aided by the defection of Arminius from Roman ranks prior to the battle. They sprang the attack when the Romans were most vulnerable; when they had left their fortified camp, and were on the march in a pounding rainstorm. The Germans did not dawdle at
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#1732797188613636-535: A tactic error in their retreat led to the Romans retaking the train and putting the Lusitanians to flight. Viriathus later defeated Servilianus with a surprise attack . Germanic war chief Arminius sprung an ambush against the Romans at Battle of the Teutoburg Forest . This particular ambush was to affect the course of Western history. The Germanic forces demonstrated several principles needed for
689-406: A vantage point overlooking the ambush site. Reconnaissance elements observing a potential ambush target on the move generally stayed 300–500 meters away. A "leapfrogging" recon technique can be used. Surveillance units were echeloned one behind the other. As the enemy drew close to the first, it fell back behind the last recon team, leaving an advance group in its place. This one in turn fell back as
742-481: Is a research institution located on Flag Road. Its main field of work is research and stimulation of the traditional culture in County Clare. Its stated goal is "the establishment of an institute for education in the traditional culture of Clare, directed primarily towards the higher education and lifelong learning sectors; the provision of a permanent, easily accessible, archive and library for material relevant to
795-635: Is said to have taken place during the First Raid on Banu Thalabah . The Banu Thalabah tribe were already aware of the impending attack; so they lay in wait for the Muslims. When Muhammad ibn Maslama arrived at the site, the Banu Thalabah with 100 men ambushed the Muslims while they were making preparation to sleep and, after a brief resistance, killed them all except for Muhammad ibn Maslama, who feigned death. A Muslim who happened to pass that way found him and assisted him to return to Medina . The raid
848-660: Is the Battle of the Trebia River. Hannibal encamped within striking distance of the Romans with the Trebia River between them, and placed a strong force of cavalry and infantry in concealment, near the battle zone. He had noticed, says Polybius , a "place between the two camps, flat indeed and treeless, but well adapted for an ambuscade, as it was traversed by a water-course with steep banks, densely overgrown with brambles and other thorny plants, and here he proposed to lay
901-541: Is the name of the bay to the west of Milltown. The name Malbay is thought to come from the Irish meall-bhaigh , which roughly means "treacherous coast". It could also stem from the legend of the witch "Mal" who was drowned in the bay by Fionn mac Cumhaill . The town has only existed since about 1800 but grew rapidly: by 1821 it had a population of 600. During the Great Famine (1844–1848) many farmers were evicted by
954-578: The Chief Secretary for Ireland , defended the State Forces' actions, saying that the houses destroyed were those of, "notorious Sinn Féiners ... I am convinced that the people of those two villages knew of this ambush". In Clare itself, according to IRA man Anthony Malone, the ambush had two effects. One was that the RIC became careful to travel in convoys of no less than three lorries. The other
1007-513: The Irish Guards . The ambush party had only nine rifles and some grenades, the remainder being armed with shotguns or handguns. They prepared to attack the lorry from a boreen that overlooked the road at Rineen. As the IRA party was lying in wait, Alan Lendrum, the local resident magistrate , unwittingly drove into a roadblock manned by the IRA's West Clare Brigade, in an unrelated incident. He
1060-532: The Roman-Persian Wars . A year after their victory at Carrhae , the Parthians invaded Syria but were driven back after a Roman ambush near Antigonia . Roman Emperor Julian was mortally wounded in an ambush near Samarra in 363 during the retreat from his Persian campaign . A Byzantine invasion of Persian Armenia was repelled by a small force at Anglon who performed a meticulous ambush by using
1113-482: The uilleann piper Willie Clancy . Miltown Malbay is home to both St. Joseph's GAA ( gaelic football ) and Clonbony GAA ( hurling ). Moy GAA is also located in the parish, but is more closely associated with the seaside town of Lahinch . St. Joseph's GAA are the only senior football club in the parish. They have won the Clare SFC on fifteen occasions, most recently in 2019 . Clonbony GAA have won
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#17327971886131166-419: The 20th century, a military ambush might involve thousands of soldiers on a large scale, such as at a choke point like a mountain pass . Conversely, it could involve a small irregular band or insurgent group attacking a regular armed-force patrol. Theoretically, a single well-armed, and concealed soldier could ambush other troops in a surprise attack . In recent centuries, a military ambush can involve
1219-531: The 90th Anniversary ceremony the TD Minister of Defence Tony Killeen talked about how such events were not sectarian and welcomed descendants of the six RIC members who were killed in the Ambush. 52°52′49.41″N 9°24′22.25″W / 52.8803917°N 9.4061806°W / 52.8803917; -9.4061806 Ambush An ambush is a surprise attack carried out by people lying in wait in
1272-671: The Auxiliaries at Killaloe on 16 November, beaten, interrogated and then shot dead. Another two were summarily executed in the same way on 22 December at Kilkee . The reprisals were condemned in the British, Irish and international press. In the House of Commons, the British Labour Party tabled a resolution condemning the reprisals and calling for an investigation. This was defeated by 346 votes to 79. Hamar Greenwood ,
1325-482: The IRA encountered ten lorry-loads of British Army soldiers, who had been sent out on a separate patrol looking for a missing magistrate. However, the IRA held off this attack long enough to flee the scene in an orderly retreat and sustained only two wounded. In reprisal for the ambush, the RIC Auxiliaries and British military raided three local villages, killed five civilians and burnt 16 houses and shops in
1378-483: The OPs and the main command post. The OPs were located so that enemy movement into the ambush could be observed. They would remain in position throughout the ambush to report routes of reinforcement and withdrawal by the enemy, as well as his manoeuvre options. Frequently the OPs were reinforced to squad size and served as flank security. The command post was situated in a central location, frequently on terrain which afforded it
1431-527: The RIC in Clare spread a false version of events and claimed that Lendrum had died of drowning. Although in strict military sense not related to the ambush (the three battalions in County Clare operated independently), it had serious consequences for the ambush. It was quite quickly noticed that the magistrate was missing and the British military authorities Ennistymon decided to send out a search party of ten lorries of soldiers. The RIC lorry passed safely through
1484-584: The Romans and the destruction of three legions. The Germanic victory caused a limit on Roman expansion in the West. Ultimately, it established the Rhine as the boundary of the Roman Empire for the next four hundred years, until the decline of the Roman influence in the West. The Roman Empire made no further concerted attempts to conquer Germania beyond the Rhine. There are many notable examples of ambushes during
1537-514: The War of Independence and members of the public. Coinciding with the 37th Anniversary of the ambush, the memorial was erected by the veterans of the 4th battalion of the Mid-Clare brigade. In attendance at the unveilling were Ignatius O'Neill, who delivered a short address, Dr. Patrick Hillary , and Rev. T. Canon O' Reilly, who blessed the monument. On the day, Dr. Rogers commented on the importance of
1590-498: The action ended, they burned the house and farm of the O'Gorman family and shot a local farmer, Sean Keane. He later died of his wounds. That night, a mixed force of police and soldiers raided the home of Dan Lehane, whose two sons had taken part in the ambush. They shot him dead and burned his house at Lahinch. Patrick Lehane was burned to death in the attic when the house was set alight. Several other houses were burned in Lahinch and
1643-429: The ambush patrol. A path along a wooded valley floor would be a typical example. Ambush can be described geometrically as: The terrain for the ambush had to meet strict criteria: One important feature of the ambush was that the target units should 'pile up' after being attacked, thus preventing them any easy means of withdrawal from the kill zone and hindering their use of heavy weapons and supporting fire. Terrain
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1696-504: The ambush position, travelling from Ennistymon to Milltown Malbay, due to some confusion among the IRA over the numbers they faced. However, when they learned that there was only one lorry, it was attacked on its return journey from Milltown Malbay. The lorry was hit by a grenade and blasted at close range by rifle and shotgun fire. The shooting was over in seconds, with five out of the six RIC men being killed outright. The sixth man managed to run about 300 yards before being shot dead. Five of
1749-407: The dead were Irish RIC officers and one was an English Black and Tan. The IRA took their weapons and burned the lorry. Not long after the lorry had been set ablaze, ten more lorries of British Army troops arrived on the scene. They had been sent out to search for Alan Lendrum, the magistrate who had gone missing earlier that day. A running fight ensued as four IRA riflemen kept the troops at bay while
1802-442: The enemy again closed the gap, and the cycle rotated. This method helped keep the enemy under continuous observation from a variety of vantage points, and allowed the recon groups to cover one another. Milltown Malbay Milltown Malbay ( Irish : Sráid na Cathrach , meaning 'street of the stone ringfort '), also Miltown Malbay , is a town in the west of County Clare , Ireland , near Spanish Point . The population
1855-400: The exclusive or combined use of improvised explosive devices (IED). This allows attackers to hit enemy convoys or patrols while minimizing the risk of being exposed to return fire. The use of ambush tactics by early people dates as far back as two million years when anthropologists have recently suggested that ambush techniques were used to hunt large game. One example from ancient times
1908-414: The hour of decision but attacked quickly, using a massive series of short, rapid, vicious charges against the length of the whole Roman line, with charging units sometimes withdrawing to the forest to regroup while others took their place. The Germans also used blocking obstacles, erecting a trench and earthen wall to hinder Roman movement along the route of the killing zone. The result was a mass slaughter of
1961-781: The lead up to the Irish War of Independence there were a number of incidents in Milltown Malbay. On 14 April 1920 the local population were celebrating the release of hunger strikers from Mountjoy Prison. It turned into the Shooting at Canada Cross when members of the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Royal Highland Infantry Regiment fired into the crowd wounding seven and killing three: Volunteer John O’Loughlan and two civilians Thomas O’Leary and Patrick Hennessy. Milltown Malbay
2014-530: The memorial in inspiring those of the future to build on the legacy of the War of Independence. On 19 September 1965, custody of the memorial was given to the F.C.A ., the first memorial in County Clare to be accepted by the organisation at the time. The memorial continues to be the focal point for local commemorations of the Rineen Ambush. In recent years, families of former British Soldiers were invited to take part in these commemorations. For example on
2067-412: The other volunteers made their escape in an orderly retreat. Two IRA volunteers and several British soldiers were wounded in the firing. Padraic O'Farrell lists the casualties as three British soldiers killed, but this is not confirmed by the other sources. The British forces, enraged by the ambush and the escape of the IRA force, took out reprisals on civilians in the surrounding area. Immediately after
2120-513: The rough terrain as a force multiplier and concealing in houses. Heraclius ' discovery of a planned ambush by Shahrbaraz in 622 was a decisive factor in his campaign . According to Muslim tradition, Islamic Prophet Muhammad used ambush tactics in his military campaigns. His first such use was during the Caravan raids . In the Kharrar caravan raid, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas was ordered to lead
2173-619: The siege of Roman praetor Gaius Vetilius and attracted him to a narrow pass next to the Barbesuda river, where he destroyed his army and killed the praetor. Viriathus's ability to turn chases into ambushes would grant him victories over a number of Roman generals. Another Lusitanian ambush was performed by Curius and Apuleius on Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus Servilianus , who led a numerically superior army complete with war elephants and Numidian cavalry . The ambush allowed Curius and Apuleius to steal Servilianus's loot train. However,
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2226-451: The surrounding area. The Volunteers in County Clare had been active since 1917 and by late 1920 had forced the RIC to abandon most of its small rural barracks in the county. This gave the IRA greater freedom to move in the countryside. In August 1920, the RIC were reinforced by the British deployment of Black and Tans and Auxiliaries to the county. Five RIC men, eleven IRA volunteers and four civilians had been killed in County Clare during
2279-751: The surrounding townlands. The primary schools are Milltown Malbay National School (in town), Rockmount National School (N.S.), Rineen N.S. and Moy N.S. ( gaelscoil ). The secondary school is St Joseph's Secondary School, Spanish Point . St Joseph's draws pupils from the parishes of Milltown Malbay, Kilmurry Ibrickane, Doonbeg, Inagh and Cooraclare. The town is in the parish of Kilfarboy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe , which covers Milltown Malbay and Moy. Parish churches are St Joseph's in Milltown Malbay and St Mary's in Moy. Oidhreacht an Chláir Teo (Clare Institute for Traditional Studies)
2332-502: The traditional arts in general and, in particular, to the abundant material of local relevance; the provision of a performance centre and associated facilities." The main target of the institute are researchers, local people and students. The town is home to the annual Willie Clancy Summer School and Festival. The Willie Clancy Summer School ( Irish Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy ) is Ireland 's largest traditional music summer school held annually since 1973 in memory of and to honour
2385-561: The two years before the ambush. The Rineen Ambush was ordered by the leadership of the IRA's Mid Clare Brigade, who had noticed that an RIC lorry travelled every week on the Ennistymon to Milltown Malbay road. John Joe Neylon (the leader of the local IRA battalion) was put in charge, although the actual attack was led by Ignatius O'Neill, the Officer Commanding. He was a veteran of World War I who had formerly fought with
2438-400: The unpopular landlord Moroney. In the years after the famine the (Protestant) Moroney family went on with rack renting and evictions. At one time the population had enough and started a boycott . The government did not like that and imprisoned all pub-owners and shopkeepers who refused to serve the family or their servant. So at the end of 1888 most pub-owners and shopkeepers were in jail. In
2491-558: Was 829 at the 2016 census . There is a townland on the southern edge of the town called Poulawillin or Pollawillin (from Irish Poll a' Mhuillinn , meaning 'hole/pool of the mill'). There is evidence that this name was once applied to the town – for example, in the Parish Namebook of the Ordnance Survey (1839) there is a reference to "Baile an Mhuillinn anciently Poll a’ Mhuillinn, Milltown Malbay". Malbay
2544-850: Was also the site of the Rineen Ambush , which took place near Rineen on the main road to Lahinch and Ennistymon . On 22 September 1920, a RIC tender was ambushed there by the Mid-Clare Brigade of the IRA mainly in retaliation for the killing of Martin Devitt at Crow's Bridge earlier in the year. Six policemen were killed in the ambush. In reprisal for the Rineen Ambush, the Black & Tans ran amok in Ennistymon, Lahinch and Milltown Malbay killing six people and burning 26 buildings, including Ennistymon and Lahinch Townhalls. The Atlantic Hotel
2597-600: Was one of the victims of the War of Independence . Owned by the Moroney family and mainly visited by English gentry it had no future and closed down around 1925. Milltown Malbay was served by the West Clare Railway , which operated from the 2 July 1887 and finally closed on 1 February 1961. The main sources of employment in the area are tourism and hospitality, construction and agriculture. The town has seven pubs,
2650-437: Was stopped at a railway crossing at Caherfeenick near Doonbeg. When the IRA demanded he leave his car and surrender it to them, he drew an automatic pistol; the IRA responded by shooting him twice in the head, fatally wounding him. After his death, the IRA weighted his body with stones and dumped it in a nearby lake. Even though a subsequent British military inquest had established that Lendrum had died of gunshot wounds, members of
2703-458: Was that, as a result of the reprisals, the civilian population "became embittered against [the British] and adopted a more defiant attitude to the [British] military and Black and Tans". The death of Resident Magistrate Alan Lendrum, however, according to pro-republican Catholic priest Sean Gaynor, "was not to our credit". On 1 October, the local IRA removed Lendrum's body from the lake, put it in
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#17327971886132756-400: Was unsuccessful. In modern warfare, an ambush can be employed by ground troops up to platoon size against enemy targets, which may be other ground troops, or possibly vehicles. However, in some situations, especially when deep behind enemy lines, the actual attack will be carried out by a platoon. A company -sized unit will be deployed to support the attack group, setting up and maintaining
2809-417: Was usually selected which would facilitate this and slow down the enemy. Any terrain around the ambush site which was not favourable to the ambushing force, or which offered some protection to the target, was heavily mined and booby trapped or pre-registered for mortars . The NVA/VC ambush formations consisted of: Other elements might also be included if the situation demanded, such as a sniper screen along
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