The History of the Piltown Cross Ambush

The following is a brief account of the Piltown Cross Ambush, as outlined by Sean and Sile Murphy in teir book titled “the Comeraghs, Refuge and Rebels”

The IRA knew that if they attacked Ardmore Barracks, military reinforcements would be quickly on the scene from Youghal to assist. This then became the basis of a plan for a major ambush at Piltown Cross in November1st 1920.

The ambush position was selected, a trench dug across the road and trees felled as an additional barrier. The Flying Column came down form the Knockmealdowns to join the Ardmore Battalion. Men were detailed to block the Dungarvan and Cappoquin roads to prevent reinforcements from arriving from the east and north. A local unit also went to Ferrypoint to guard against a naval landing. The main body of the column and some other picked men took up teir positions at Piltown at 8.30pm. at about 9.45pm , column men threw mills bombs at the Ardmore Barracks and Marine Station, then leaving the local men to keep up the diversionary attack, they returned to Piltown Cross. As expected, Verey Lights were sent up from Ardmore and close to midnight the lookout, posted on top of a telegraph pole, reported that a lorry of military was approaching Piltown. The column opened fire at the lights and sustained heavy fire for about five minutes. They heard such roaring and screeching that Mick Mansfield thought that they had wounded women and children. They ceased firing and inspected the lorry. The military had thrown down their arms and surrendered. They were lined up on the road by the column and it was found that two of the soldiers were dead by the roadside. Nipper McCarthy lifted up their heads and Pakeen Whelan said an act of contrition into their ears. There were also two RIC men in the lorry and at first they were to be shot. Instead, a promise was extracted from them that they would resign from the force if they were allowed to go free. One of the two, Prenderville, who did not resign , was later shot by a sniper on Youghal Bridge on December 6th.
The military were given a day to transport their six wounded back to Youghal. Twenty-six rifles, two carbines, mills bombs, revolvers, Verey Lights and pistols were captured by te IRA. The arms were put in Eddie Spratt’s car. When Nipper tried to start the military lorry, he found it useless as it had been riddled with bullets. So they abandoned the original plan of taking te marine station at Ardmore and went back through Aglish to the house of Walter Terry. From there they were to cross the Blackwater at Dromana but no boat turned up so they footed it back to Comeragh. The column, which included George Kiely, Sean Riordan, Pakeen Whelan. Mick Mansfield, Pat Keating, and Ned Kirby, stayed at Keating’s of Comeragh the next night. They moved onto Connors at Furraleigh for the following night, where they were when te military raided Keating’s. With the military seach party was Sergeant Liston of Strabally RIC, who identified Michael Keating and knew that he was not Pat whom they were seeking.