During the Irish Civil War the Castle house was burnt down, and eventually demolished, only a few walls remain today
1920 Jul 27. Buxton Smith appointed Coy Commander. Based on Macroom Castle, Co Cork
Gleeson in "Bloody Sunday" has a chapter of an account by an Auxiliary (W Munro, RGA, ADRIC 312). Munro who joined ADRIC on 20 Aug 1920 (2 days after Mitchell and Agnew and they all were posted to C Coy in Macroom). He says whilst training at the Curragh the following event happened. I don't think that he was referring to Mitchell as the Intelligence Officer. There is no evidence that Mitchell was ever an Intelligence Officer, and in fact was never a DI3. And the event is only with one IO, followed by another.
"We also attended one race meeting at which our only ex-Scotland Yard member lost his lot on the three card trick. An incident that he never lived down until he disappeared three months later whilst out trying for information. ....Apparently an intelligence officer was necessary to get information about the doings of the other side. There was some difficultly about this as none of us had any experience of this type of work, but we had in our ranks one who professed to have served with the CID in London and he was elected. Some of us rather doubted his claim to the CID as he was the man who had lost his lot on the three card trick at the Curragh Races.......One evening our IO went out on an expedition and never returned. We were not unduly perturbed for the first day as he had taken to going further afield for his information, but after three days we had to conclude that we had seen the last of him and that he was now lying at the bottom of a bog. We never really got to know what his fate was.Another IO was appointed, but before a week had elapsed he also disappeared. Now we began to be uneasy and to think that perhaps our luck was running out. Our next IO was sent from HQ in Dublin and was a man of experience who managed to remain alive, but got very little information"
T/Cadet Munro noted "We inflicted our first casualty. It was during a raid on some cottages up towards the Kerry border that we apparently surprised a meeting of some sort. It was just some young fellows who took fright on seeing us and ran for it. But they were some little way off before we spotted them and they were called on to halt. They kept going and a few shots were fired after them. They were really out of effective revolver range, but by chance one was hit and fell. On reaching him we found him to be badly wounded, so taking him in to one of the cottages, we did what we could for him and sent one car to get a doctor and a priest. Who arrived in time to do what they had to do before the man died. This incident depressed us, specially as it was an unnecessary and stupid death, and had so to speak, opened the war, which we had not wanted. The man who had fired the fatal shot received several warnings that he was marked and would soon get what was coming to him. So far as I know he is still alive". This must refer to the death of James Leehane
1920 Sep 15 Auxiliaries arrive in Macroom (Memoirs of an old Warrior, p353))
1920 Oct 16. James Leehane was shot by a patrol from C Coy
1920 Nov 6. Two Auxiliaries IOs (Cadets Bertram Agnew and Lionel Mitchell) are reported missing at Macroom, Co. Cork. It is believed that they were kidnapped by the IRA on their way from Macroom to Cork and then interrogated and killed. Their bodies were never found. Posted missing in the roll on 15 Nov.
1920 Nov 10. Men from C Coy involved in shooting of Christopher Lucey
1920 Nov 22. 2 lorries of Auxiliaries from C Coy capture Cuil Aodha IRA Captain Neddy MacSweeney, when they raided his home at Murnabeag. He was taken to Victoria Barracks , and later on to Ballykinar Detention Camp in the North of Ireland
1920 Nov 30 . Denny Mahony of Kilmichael killed by Auxiliaries from Macroom
1920 Nov 28. Kilmichael Ambush took place
Katherine Everett in her book called Bricks and Flowers quotes Col Buxton Smith, commander 'C' Company Auxiliaries in Macroom Castle as finding it difficult to control his men. Everett reports Buxton Smith as saying to her: "When I first came here I little knew what I was in for. I can trust no one. Already I have lost twenty-five of my men, and they are getting hard to hold. I can't give them any exercise - can't even allow them to knock a ball about in the park, lest they are sniped at from over the wall. They can't walk a yard or go into a shop without danger, and they are savage for revenge."
1920 Nov 29 Charlie Browne in The Storey of the 7th says his parents house was set on fire by 3 Auxiliaries, but Buxton Smith and his adjutant Mitchell sent a party of men to put out the blaze, which they did.
1920 Dec 7. Proclamation By CO of C Coy.
1920 Dec 19. Mount Massey House was burnt down after the British withdrew from the house. They had been using it for a few years, and local IRA say it was used by ADRIC as well as Macroom Castle
1921 Jan 3. Jeremiah Casey (16 years) of Reenaniree killed by Auxiliaries from C Coy in Macroom. They opened fire, and one man, Jeremiah Casey died as a result. The patrol was under DI3 Fleming. Evidence was given by T/C ER Wilson and T/C HW Owen was also there . The verdict was that he was shot by ADRIC in execution of their duty.
1921 Jan 19. A Section of Auxiliary Cadets attached to "C" Company, stationed in Portobello Barracks, had just left the Barracks on patrol. They had only gone a few hundred yards along Mespil Road in their Crossley Tender, when several shots were fired and four bombs were hurled at the Tender. The Auxiliaries replied with rifle and revolver fire and it is believed that one of the attackers was hit. Two of the Cadets were wounded by bomb splinters and were taken to hospital. Their attackers escaped.
1921 Feb 7. A Hulse posted to C Coy as DI 1. I am not clear as to the roles of Buxton Smith and Hulse for the next 2 weeks, but Hulse appears to have taken over as Coy Commander. Buxton Smith relinquishes command from 13 Feb
1921 Feb 11. A patrol of Auxiliaries from C Coy at Macroom raided Clondrohid, a hamlet 4 km NW of Macroom and a 16 year old boy, Daniel Mahony was shot
1922 Feb 21. C Company were moved to Portobello Barracks in Dublin, and were replaced by J Coy and J Coy were in Macroom when Seafield Grant set out on his ambushed patrol on 25 Feb 1921. It would appear that this was within a day or so when C Coy moved out of Macroom.
1921 Feb 21. Buxton Smith resigned from the Auxiliaries, as did his second in command RE Kemble. Their resignations appear to have co-incided with the move of C Coy back to Dublin.
1921 Mar 12 A raid in Dubin in which T/Const F H Hauxwell was convicted of looting. On the raid were DI3 AT Barker, S/Leader W Gordon, S/Leader RV Taylor
1921 Mar 28 Grenade thrown at one of their tenders
1921 Mar 31. An inquest into the death of T/Cadet J L Griffiths shows C Coy in Lissonfield House, Portobello Barracks on this date. He was accidently shot by a sentry. Lissonfield House was beside Portobello Barracks
1921 Apr. WS813. Lissonfield House near Portobello Barracks was occupied by the Auxiliaries. We decided that we could effectively snipe them from the roof of the Catholic Church at Rathmines Road. One evening in April, 1921, I took up a position in the Church roof and waited for the Auxiliaries to come out in front of Lissonfield. After about two hours wait one of the Officers came out of the house onto the lawn in front and sat on a swing. I fired at him, hit him and made my escape. On another occasion before this I was also in position waiting for the Auxiliaries to come out of the house when Sweeney, our Section Commander, rode up on a bicycle, stopped at the gate leading to Lissonfield House, drew his gun, shot the sentry and made good his escape on a bicycle.
1921 Apr 19. A Hulse wounded (accidently shot on a raid) and posted to Depot Coy. He went to hospital, and was ineffective until 22 Sep when he was posted to A Coy as Coy commander
1921 May 4 Raids in Dublin
1921 May 5. Raids in Dublin
1921 May 6. Raids in Dublin
1921 May 8. Raids in Dublin
1921 May 9. Raids in Dublin
1921 May 10. Raids in Dublin
1921 May 14 Patrol in Dalkey
1921 May 16. raid in Dublin
1921 May 17 raids in Dublin
1921 May 19. raids in Dublin
1921 May 21. Raids in Dublin
1921 May 24 Raids In Dublin
1921 May 26 Raids in Dublin
1921 May 27 Raids in Dublin
1921 May 28. Promoted 2nd in Command E Fleming
1921 May 29 Grenade attack on 2 C Coy tenders in St Stephen's Green
1921 May 30 Raids carried out
1921 May 31 Raids in Dublin
1921 Jun 11. A patrol under RV Taylor arrest P McDonald with a gun
1921 Jun 19 Special operation in Wicklow Hills
1921 Jun 21. At 10.30 a party of Auxiliaries from C Coy were ambushed in Great Brunswick St, 6 bombs were thrown, one Auxiliary Cadet was slightly injured. Fire was returned and 5 arrests were made.
1921 Oct. The Company photograph shows 73 people in C Coy