Maurice Moore
Encyclopedia
Maurice Moore was an Irish republican who fought in the Irish War of Independence
and was executed in April 1921 after capture in the aftermath of the Clonmult Ambush
.
Moore was born at Ticnock, Cobh
, County Cork
in 1897. He was educated at the local Presentation Brothers National School and after school began work as a plumber's mate at Haulbowline dockyard (then a British naval establishment).
His family had strong republican connections and he joined Irish Volunteers
in Cobh in 1916. Three of his brothers were also members and they all subsequently served with the Irish Republican Army
as members of the 4th Battalion, Cork No.1 Brigade.
As a member of the Cobh Company of the IRA Moore took part in the capture of Carrigtwohill
Royal Irish Constabulary
(RIC) barracks which was the first police barracks captured by republicans in the War of Independence. He was later involved in the capture of Cloyne
RIC barracks and numerous other actions of the local IRA against British crown forces.
In February 1921 Moore was one of a flying column of over 20 IRA men billeted in an old farmhouse at Clonmult, near Midleton
under Commandant Diarmuid Hurley. They were tracked down and surrounded by a company of the Hampshire Regiment of the British Army
and RIC, Black and Tans and Auxiliaries. In the ensuing gunfight 12 of the republicans were killed and eight captured, including Maurice Moore.
The group were given a military courtmartial and all were sentenced to death. Seven of them later had their sentences commuted but two, Moore and his lifelong friend Paddy O'Sullivan were executed on 28 April 1921.
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
and was executed in April 1921 after capture in the aftermath of the Clonmult Ambush
Clonmult Ambush
The Clonmult Ambush took place on 20 February 1921, during the Irish War of Independence.Irish Republican Army volunteers occupying a farmhouse in Clonmult, County Cork were surrounded by a force of British Army, RIC and Auxiliaries. In the action that followed, twelve IRA volunteers were killed,...
.
Moore was born at Ticnock, Cobh
Cobh
Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
in 1897. He was educated at the local Presentation Brothers National School and after school began work as a plumber's mate at Haulbowline dockyard (then a British naval establishment).
His family had strong republican connections and he joined Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
in Cobh in 1916. Three of his brothers were also members and they all subsequently served with the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
as members of the 4th Battalion, Cork No.1 Brigade.
As a member of the Cobh Company of the IRA Moore took part in the capture of Carrigtwohill
Carrigtwohill
Carrigtwohill, officially Carrigtohill , is a village in County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland with a population of 4,869 . It is located east of Cork city, bypassed by the N25 road and is part of Metropolitan Cork. Carrigtwohill is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland. It is a major...
Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
(RIC) barracks which was the first police barracks captured by republicans in the War of Independence. He was later involved in the capture of Cloyne
Cloyne
Cloyne is a small town to the south-east of the town of Midleton in eastern County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. It is also a see city of the Anglican Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic diocese...
RIC barracks and numerous other actions of the local IRA against British crown forces.
In February 1921 Moore was one of a flying column of over 20 IRA men billeted in an old farmhouse at Clonmult, near Midleton
Midleton
Midleton, historically Middleton , is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies some 22 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare...
under Commandant Diarmuid Hurley. They were tracked down and surrounded by a company of the Hampshire Regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and RIC, Black and Tans and Auxiliaries. In the ensuing gunfight 12 of the republicans were killed and eight captured, including Maurice Moore.
The group were given a military courtmartial and all were sentenced to death. Seven of them later had their sentences commuted but two, Moore and his lifelong friend Paddy O'Sullivan were executed on 28 April 1921.
Sources
- http://homepage.eircom.net/~corkcounty/Timeline.htm
- Cork Jail Memorial Souvenir (pamphlet), 1948, Cló na Laoí (The Lee Press), Cork