By mid-August 1920 the War of Independence was well underway. Crown forces had been forced out of the Dingle Peninsula with the sole exception of a strongly fortified base in Dingle town.

This outpost had to be serviced from Tralee. A plan was devised by members of the 4th and 5th Battalions of the Kerry No.1 Brigade of the IRA to attack the lorry carrying supplies. An ambush was planned to take place at Ballinclare, half a mile west of Annascaul village. The armed supply lorry was attacked and after an exchange of gunfire the British surrendered. The captured soldiers of the East Lancashire Regiment were well treated and eventually set free. A substantial supply of rifles and equipment was captured and the lorry set on fire.

Reprisals were expected in the locality after the ambush. Two days later a large contingent of troops and an armoured car arrived in Annascaul. Among them were members of the RIC Special Reserve – the ‘Black and Tans’, notorious for their violence against civilians. There was shooting and looting in the village. At the end of the day, one man, Paddy Kennedy, lay dead at the side of the hill in Gurteens. His funeral two days later was attended by enormous crowds.

An inquest into Kennedy’s death was held at Annascaul Courthouse and the jury found that he had been ‘foully murdered’ and demanded the arrest and trial of the soldier who fired the fatal shot. The verdict was not officially accepted and the death instead was classified as ‘unjustifiable homicide’ and no proceedings were taken against the killer.

Although this was a dramatic and tragic incident at a pivotal time in Irish history, there is a risk that it will be forgotten. To this end Annascaul Historical Society is carrying out research and plans to commemorate these events.

As 2020 will be the centenary of the Annascaul Ambush and its aftermath it is intended to erect a memorial in the village to commemorate it.

Annascaul Historical Society is seeking to raise the necessary finance required to carry out the work proposed. The members of the committee are John Hanifin, John Hartnett, Laurence Jones, Michael Kennedy, Justin McCarthy and Mary Ward.