Irish War of Independence Begins With Raid at Soloheadbeg, Tipperary

The Soloheadbeg ambush took place on 21 January 1919, when members of the Irish Volunteers (or Irish Republican Army [IRA]) ambushed Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) officers who were escorting a consignment of gelignite explosives at Soloheadbeg, County Tipperary.

Two RIC officers were killed and their weapons and the explosives were stolen. The Volunteers acted on their own initiative and had not sought authorisation for their action. As it happened on the same day that the revolutionary Irish parliament first met and declared Ireland’s independence, it is often seen as the first engagement of the Irish War of Independence.

The Soloheadbeg ambush was led by Seán Treacy and Dan Breen, attacked and killed two Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) officers who were transporting gelignite explosives in Soloheadbeg, County Tipperary.

That same day, an ambush would be carried out by Irish Volunteers from the 3rd Tipperary Brigade. It involved Seán Treacy, Dan Breen, Seán Hogan, Séumas Robinson, Tadhg Crowe, Patrick McCormack, Patrick O’Dwyer and Michael Ryan. Robinson (who had participated in the Easter Rising) was the commander of the group that carried out the attack and Treacy (a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood since 1911) coordinated the planning of the attack. The unit involved acted on its own initiative.

This event is often considered the first significant action in the War of Independence, as it marked an overt armed conflict between Irish republicans and British authorities.