The Great Brunswick Street Ambush, March 1921

Dublin City Libraries presents a talk by historians Cathy Scuffil & Liz Gillis for the 100th anniversary of the Great Brunswick St. ambush.

On the night of Sunday 14th March 1921 members of the IRA and the Auxiliaries clashed near the corner of Great Brunswick Street (now Pearse Street) and Sandwith Street. The gun battle took place outside no. 144 Brunswick Street which was the headquarters of the 3rd Battalion Dublin Brigade IRA - the house is now part of the Pearse Street library building - and left 2 IRA volunteers, 3 civilians and 2 Auxiliaries dead and more wounded. Join Cathy Scuffil (DCC Historian in Residence ) and Liz Gillis as they uncover the story of one of the most deadly episodes of the War of Independence in Dublin.

This online history talk hosted by Dublin City Library and Archive took place on 15 March 2021.

Part of the Dublin City Council Decade of Commemorations programme.

[seanohare]

Very interesting and informative Liz gillies is a top notch historian all of her five books on the Irish revolution a must read

[johntracy]

Liz gillis is an amazing historian love listening to her

[edwardbourke]

The Brunswick street action was much more complicated than can be imagined. The initial grenade attack was on Brunswick street police station apparently to lure out Auxiliaries to an ambush in reprisal for the executions that morning. An IRA man was injured and taken to the Adelaide hospital. A cleaner heard the matron report his injuries to the authorities, she contacted the IRA who sprung him from hospital before he could be arrested. It seems strange that an ambush was set up in the vicinity of a meeting in 144 unless they were assembled for a major action. The Auxiliaries responded very quickly and the armoured car charged the ambushers.
Charles Quale in his witness statement says he found information in the Castle revealing Frazer and Fitzgerald (of Capel street) as spies. He says both were shot as a result of his discovery. Leo Fitzgerald was the only Fitzgerald shot in Dublin, Leslie Frazer was shot in a pub near Capel street which could be confusion for Frazier's address.
Ormond Winter says that an IRA officer who was giving information was killed in the raid. This cannot describe Clarke. Was Leo Fitzgerald a traitor eliminated in the heat of battle.

On the exhumation and reinterment at Glasnevin I wonder what happened the body of the Black & Tan William Mitchell hanged for murder on 7th June 1921 along with two IRA men Foley & Maher.