Looking Back: Kilcullen Police Barracks — A Series of Attacks

On Wednesday night of last week the people of Kilcullen, which, apart from occasional outbursts of tree-cutting or road-trenching on the outskirts, is one of the most peaceful parts of the county, were thrown into a paroxysm of terror by an outburst of firing which occurred shortly after midnight, and endured for a period of about five minutes.

The shots were fired from the corner of the bridge across the Liffey in the middle of the village, and were directed towards the police barrack, situate some forty or fifty yards away. The police did not reply to the fire, which, as has been said, ended after about five minutes.

Some two hours later, when the residents had begun to settle down to their slumbers once more, they were again terrified by a second outbreak. On the first occasion some twenty or thirty shots were fired, but on the second not half this number was discharged. Again there was no reply from the police barrack.

Once more, about 4 o'clock in the morning, there was a further discharge of shots, this time from a ruined house across the street, almost facing the police barrack. On this occasion the police replied vigorously with rifle fire and the attack was not persisted in.

On Thursday morning there were several panes of glass found to be broken in the police barrack windows, and here and there bullet marks were seen on the gable end of the premises nearest to the river bridge.

— Local newspaper report 1921.

(Credit to Dave Byrne for trawling through old newspapers for reports about or from Kilcullen.)

Photographs use Policy — Privacy Policy