A small IRA force of roughly 25 men repelled 100 Crown forces at Ballinalee, preventing a reprisal burning of the village during the Irish War of Independence.
Key Facts
- Date
- 4 November 1920
- Crown forces strength
- 100 men in 11 trucks
- IRA strength
- Approximately 25 members
- Main combatants (IRA)
- 4 fighters at Rose Cottage
- IRA commander
- Seán Mac Eoin
- Preceding RIC deaths
- 2 (Inspector Kelleher and Constable Cooney)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In the days before the battle, two RIC personnel were killed in County Longford: Inspector Philip Kelleher the previous week, and Constable Peter Cooney the day before, the latter suspected of spying and reputedly executed on Michael Collins's orders. Crown forces, comprising Black and Tans and Auxiliary Division personnel, assembled to burn Ballinalee as a reprisal.
On 4 November 1920, Seán Mac Eoin deployed roughly 25 IRA fighters at road approaches into Ballinalee. A group of four men at Rose Cottage engaged the 100-strong Crown force with rifle fire and grenades. The concentrated resistance forced the larger force to retreat, and the village was not burned.
The successful defence of Ballinalee prevented a reprisal burning of the village and demonstrated that small, well-positioned IRA units could repel numerically superior Crown forces. The engagement bolstered Seán Mac Eoin's reputation as a military commander during the War of Independence.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Seán Mac Eoin.
Side B
1 belligerent