Uncommon Valour Read Online Free Page B
splashing into the water. An officer sitting on the wall, revolver in hand, was shot through the head and died instantly.
Within the grounds of the Union, the six Volunteers positioned within the inner wall at the canal entrance (7) found themselves under intense fire from the British troops positioned in the upper rooms of the Rialto buildings.
After several attempts, and despite their losses, the British troops forced open the back gate and entered the Union grounds. At 2.30 p.m. approximately fifty British troops fanned out and moved towards the main gate to where Ceannt had established his headquarters. The advancing troops were joined by those who had stormed the Rialto entrance. However, Hospital 2â3 stood in their way (5).
The Volunteers who held the southern wall were in danger of being outflanked. Unable to hold their position, they retreated towards Hospital 2â3. In their desperate attempt to withdraw, eighteen-year-old Brendan Donelan was hit and mortally wounded. A native of Loughrea he had been employed in the drapery trade. He lay in the open, bleeding to death. Volunteer James Quinn was also shot and killed, leaving a wife and young family. A painter by trade, he was a member of the Colmcille Hurling Club and was often heard to say that he would exchange his camán for nothing but a rifle.
The advancing British soldiers quickly lost their way among the labyrinth of buildings and were delayed by the confusing intersecting alleyways and avenues. Passing beneath the occupied windows, the unsuspecting soldiers were fired upon by the Volunteers, who then quickly withdrew and reformed in another area to repeat this type of attack.
From the second floor of Hospital 2â3 (5), bursts of rapid rifle fire erupted, catching the advancing British troops in open ground. The British soldiers took cover and returned fire, aiming at the puffs of black smoke emitting from the windows. Running in short rushes, some soldiers succeeded in reaching the wall of the building. Using a pass key they gained entrance to the hospitalâs inner courtyard.
On the ground floor of Hospital 2â3, Volunteers Dan McCarthy and Jim Kenny found themselves confronted by a large force of British soldiers. They opened fire and then ran, locking a door between themselves and their pursuers. The British troops returned fire, then smashed open the door and gave chase to their attackers. McCarthy and Kenny ran through dormitories and down narrow corridors in an attempt to evade their pursuers. The sound of hobnailed boots and gunshots echoed through the corridors of the hospital. The two Volunteers stopped occasionally at corners and fired their rifles to slow down their pursuers. These encounters developed into a deadly game of hide and seek. As they reached the front of the building the Volunteers threw themselves through the ground floor windows, out onto the lawn. As he staggered to regain his footing, Dan McCarthy was shot and wounded in the stomach. He shouted, âRun on! Iâm hit.â 12
Jim Kenny lay face down on the grass momentarily, his weapon trained on the area where he expected the British to appear. The first soldier to appear beat a hasty retreat and Kenny sprinted across to the main buildings, only to find his escape route blocked by another platoon of soldiers. Kenny levelled his rifle and opened fire on the soldiers, forcing them to retreat into a nearby building. As he ran, bullets hit the brickwork behind him sending showers of masonry into the air. He ran past the convent and as he reached the Protestant infirmary he found Commandant Ceannt who was assisting a wounded Volunteer. Ceannt had been reconnoitring his positions when he found himself cut off by the rapid advance of the Royal Irish Regiment. In order to evade the British troops it was decided to leave their wounded comrade until they could find a secure means of escape. Accidentally they entered a cul de sac (13) between the Protestant
Within the grounds of the Union, the six Volunteers positioned within the inner wall at the canal entrance (7) found themselves under intense fire from the British troops positioned in the upper rooms of the Rialto buildings.
After several attempts, and despite their losses, the British troops forced open the back gate and entered the Union grounds. At 2.30 p.m. approximately fifty British troops fanned out and moved towards the main gate to where Ceannt had established his headquarters. The advancing troops were joined by those who had stormed the Rialto entrance. However, Hospital 2â3 stood in their way (5).
The Volunteers who held the southern wall were in danger of being outflanked. Unable to hold their position, they retreated towards Hospital 2â3. In their desperate attempt to withdraw, eighteen-year-old Brendan Donelan was hit and mortally wounded. A native of Loughrea he had been employed in the drapery trade. He lay in the open, bleeding to death. Volunteer James Quinn was also shot and killed, leaving a wife and young family. A painter by trade, he was a member of the Colmcille Hurling Club and was often heard to say that he would exchange his camán for nothing but a rifle.
The advancing British soldiers quickly lost their way among the labyrinth of buildings and were delayed by the confusing intersecting alleyways and avenues. Passing beneath the occupied windows, the unsuspecting soldiers were fired upon by the Volunteers, who then quickly withdrew and reformed in another area to repeat this type of attack.
From the second floor of Hospital 2â3 (5), bursts of rapid rifle fire erupted, catching the advancing British troops in open ground. The British soldiers took cover and returned fire, aiming at the puffs of black smoke emitting from the windows. Running in short rushes, some soldiers succeeded in reaching the wall of the building. Using a pass key they gained entrance to the hospitalâs inner courtyard.
On the ground floor of Hospital 2â3, Volunteers Dan McCarthy and Jim Kenny found themselves confronted by a large force of British soldiers. They opened fire and then ran, locking a door between themselves and their pursuers. The British troops returned fire, then smashed open the door and gave chase to their attackers. McCarthy and Kenny ran through dormitories and down narrow corridors in an attempt to evade their pursuers. The sound of hobnailed boots and gunshots echoed through the corridors of the hospital. The two Volunteers stopped occasionally at corners and fired their rifles to slow down their pursuers. These encounters developed into a deadly game of hide and seek. As they reached the front of the building the Volunteers threw themselves through the ground floor windows, out onto the lawn. As he staggered to regain his footing, Dan McCarthy was shot and wounded in the stomach. He shouted, âRun on! Iâm hit.â 12
Jim Kenny lay face down on the grass momentarily, his weapon trained on the area where he expected the British to appear. The first soldier to appear beat a hasty retreat and Kenny sprinted across to the main buildings, only to find his escape route blocked by another platoon of soldiers. Kenny levelled his rifle and opened fire on the soldiers, forcing them to retreat into a nearby building. As he ran, bullets hit the brickwork behind him sending showers of masonry into the air. He ran past the convent and as he reached the Protestant infirmary he found Commandant Ceannt who was assisting a wounded Volunteer. Ceannt had been reconnoitring his positions when he found himself cut off by the rapid advance of the Royal Irish Regiment. In order to evade the British troops it was decided to leave their wounded comrade until they could find a secure means of escape. Accidentally they entered a cul de sac (13) between the Protestant
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