IRA Martyr Eddie Carmody & Robert Graves (I Claudius)

[caractacus]

What was the connection between IRA Lieutenant Eddie Carmody, murdered by the black and tans, and famous British author Robert Graves???
Carmody was murdered in Ballylongford on November 22nd 1920, but the Unrepentant Communist blog has found an interesting and previously unheard of link between Carmody and Robert Graves. Graves went on to write 'I Claudius' and 'Claudius the God' as well as large amount of poetry in his long writing career. 'I Claudius' was dramatised by the BBC in 1976 and brought forth bravura performances by Derek Jacobi and John Hurt.....But JUST what was the connection between the 'I Claudius' author and the IRA.... Find out at

http://unrepentantcommunist.blogspot.com/

[pikey]

interesting article , though the graves connection is rather thin . in fairness to him he wasnt a tan , and was somewhat sympathetic to the irish .

[Riadach]

Also, I think the accusation that the black and tans were ex-prisoners has been shown to be propaganda.

[caractacus]

Riadach I think you will find that the ex-prisoners recruited to the Tans was true, except that they had BEEN in military glass-houses and given the option of working FOR THE tans AFTER their military jail terms in service in the Auxiliaries.
In 1919, the British government advertised for men who were willing to "face a rough and dangerous task". Many former British army soldiers had come back from Western Europe and did not find a land fit for heroes. They came back to unemployment and few firms needed men whose primary skill was fighting in war. Therefore, there were plenty of ex-servicemen who were willing to reply to the government’s advert. For many the sole attraction was not political or national pride – it was simply money. The men got paid ten shillings a day. They got three months training before being sent to Ireland. The first unit arrived in Ireland in March 1920.

Once in Ireland it quickly became apparent that there were not enough uniforms for all those who had joined up. Therefore they wore a mixture of uniforms – some military, some RIC. This mixture gave them the appearance of being in khaki and dark police uniform. As a result, these men got the nickname "Black and Tans", and it stuck. Some say that the nickname came from a pack of hunting hounds known as the 'Black and Tans'.

The Black and Tans did not act as a supplement to the RIC. Though some men were experienced in trench warfare, they lacked the self-discipline that would have been found in the Western Front. Many Black and Tan units all but terrorised local communities. Community policing was the preserve of the RIC. For the Black and Tans, their primary task was to make Ireland "hell for the rebels to live in". Over 8000 Black and Tans went to Ireland and while they found it difficult to cope with men who used classic guerrilla tactics against them, those who lived in areas where the Black and Tans were based, paid the price.

The attitude of the Black and Tans is best summed up by one of their divisional commanders:

"If a police barracks is burned or if the barracks already occupied is not suitable, then the best house in the locality is to be commandeered, the occupants thrown into the gutter. Let them die there – the more the merrier.
Should the order ("Hands Up") not be immediately obeyed, shoot and shoot with effect. If the persons approaching (a patrol) carry their hands in their pockets, or are in any way suspicious-looking, shoot them down. You may make mistakes occasionally and innocent persons may be shot, but that cannot be helped, and you are bound to get the right parties some time. The more you shoot, the better I will like you, and I assure you no policeman will get into trouble for shooting any man."

Lt. Col. Smyth, June 1920


The most infamous attack on the public came in November 1920. Many people had packed into Croke Park, Dublin, to watch a football match. In retaliation for the murder of fourteen undercover detectives by the IRA, the Black and Tans opened fire on the crowd, killing twelve people. In retaliation for this attack, eighteen members of the ‘Auxies’ (a separate part of the Black and Tans) were killed in Kilmichael, County Cork. The ‘Auxies’ took their revenge for this by burning down the centre of Cork and parading around after this event with burnt cork in their caps. Violence, it appeared, only led to even more violence on both sides.

The Black and Tans were not regular troops. There were many examples of them shooting indiscriminately at civilians as opposed to republican guerrillas. Creameries were also destroyed by the Black and Tans – almost as a way of economically punishing those who may have been helping the IRA. Those experienced in trench warfare fighting a seen enemy, were of little use in Ireland. The Black and Tans were so poorly disciplined and trained for Ireland that their casualty rate was far higher than could have been imagined when the government first advertised for them. The government in Westminster quickly realised that they were a liability as even public opinion in mainland Britain was appalled by a lot of what they did.

[merle haggard]

The Black and Tans were not regular troops. There were many examples of them shooting indiscriminately at civilians as opposed to republican guerrillas. Creameries were also destroyed by the Black and Tans – almost as a way of economically punishing those who may have been helping the IRA. Those experienced in trench warfare fighting a seen enemy, were of little use in Ireland. The Black and Tans were so poorly disciplined and trained for Ireland that their casualty rate was far higher than could have been imagined when the government first advertised for them. The government in Westminster quickly realised that they were a liability as even public opinion in mainland Britain was appalled by a lot of what they did.

Tom Barrys authoritative account of that period of conflict made very clear there was no essential difference in the conduct , discipline and behaviour of regular British troops in Ireland and that of the black and tans . The manner in which the essex regiment fled from crossbarry despite massively outnumbering those who fought them in the open would ber out the similarity in discpline as well .

Creameries were also destroyed by the Black and Tans – almost as a way of economically punishing those who may have been helping the IRA

Regular British troops did this as well . It was collective punishment against the entire community for the IRAs actions .[/i]