I have ancestors that were both Royal Irish Constabulary and IRA during the
Anglo-Irish War and Pro and Anti-Treaty after it and its impossible not to
sympathise with any of them on a human level. The plight of the RIC was sad
particularly from 1918 on but they still had conscious political decisions to
make. They were far more than mere symbols; they were the eyes and ears of
Dublin Castle and became a vital conduit for transmitting counter-revolutionary
intelligence which cost many volunteers their lives as well as their liberty.
Many RIC, in fact, resigned on foot of the 1918 Sinn Féin vote and the
formation of Dáil Éireann, while others remained and became intelligence moles
for the IRA - the bulk of course stuck with their pensionable jobs and became
de facto servants of Empire amidst the tidal wave of national resurgence.
To be sure, they were caught in an unenviable cross-fire and divisions within
their own extended families would have reflected the fracturing of national
opinion. The ramifications of 'high politics' always took its toll heaviest on
the poor grunts on the ground.
Also, its much easier to stick with the
"divil ye know" than take a leap into the unknown especially when your bread is
being buttered in the interim. Options were available though for those RIC who
felt their national impulses compromised by work which must have been at times
highly disagreeable to them.
For example, in early 1920 Sinn Féin sent
out circulars to club secretaries urging the formation of pressure groups to
lobby relatives and parents of RIC of the wisdom of their retiring; in addition
to which SF members were urged to collaborate in sourcing jobs for them once
they did.
This was a canny policy decision adopted by SF in recognition
of both the economic bind many RIC were caught in and the fact that many must
have been split by divided loyalties. Some may well have interpreted this as 'an
offer I can't refuse' (depending on the 'delicacy' in which the matter is
broached by the delegation I'd imagine) but others presumably didn't and were
glad to avail of the 'get out clause'.
As to conscious political
decisions there were on average 46 RIC resignations a week by mid July 1920,
according to a flustered Warren Fisher in a letter to Lloyd George. So the Sinn
Féin 'feelers' had obviously reaped some dividends but more important you
suspect is the escalating policy of reprisals which many RIC clearly wished to
have no hand or part in. One such was Daniel Crowley who resigned June 1st,
1920. This from his statement to the American Commission on Conditions in
Ireland;
"They were to go on an armoured car with a machine gun ...
and every man who took a prominent part in the SF movement they were to stand up
in front of his house and turn the machine gun on it. In this armoured car there
were put 120 cans of petrol and also 120 Mills bombs, and the reason for this is
that they were for burning houses."
On another occasion on patrol
with two Black and Tans one of them demanded to know the whereabouts of the
houses of a Maurice Walsh & a chairman of Clogheen District Council, saying
they intended to shoot them;
"We reminded him that he was not in the
army now. And he said that when he left the training depot he was told that he
would not be subjected to any discipline whatsoever if he shot Sinn
Féiners".
Apparently, after this altercation the Tan actually shot at
Crowley and another officer! But still he hadn't resigned - this was the night
of May 21st. What does it take to push a man over the edge?? I guess its just
the slow drip drip exposure to brutality. Further on, in reference again to the
Tans he says;
" I have seen them stop two girls of the town coming to
the rosary at half past six in the evening, and they said to the girls, 'Hands
up', and knocked them down".
"They were just trying to stir the
people up", he says. Eventually, he just gave it up altogether. There's no
record of his financial situation though in the end you get the impression it
wasn't too high on his priority list
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