Overview

A ‘sensational affair.. carried out with great audacity’ - New York Times. An astonishing act of piracy, the capture of the British war ship, the Upnor changed the course of Ireland's Civil War. Flawless in its planning and execution, while Winston Churchill remarked on Irish 'genius for conspiracy', a furious Michael Collins accused the British of deliberately arming his enemies. Indeed, it’s highly likely that the bullet that killed him originated in the Upnor. The Ballycotton Job brings this riveting story to life, its cast of disparate characters and strands of adventure beautifully woven together. This book sees events leading up to the capture as well as the consequences of the Upnor seizure discussed in detail. Based on years of archival research, it tells a unique story of both sides, Irish and British. The book's fast-paced narrative is enlivened by dialogue and details obtained from interviews with participants. Ireland teetered on the verge of civil war, the IRA splitting into anti-Treaty and pro-Treaty stance, Michael Collins and the Provisional Government on the pro-Treaty side. Cork's Sean O’Hegarty, the local anti-Treaty IRA leader, prevented Collins’ National Army from entering the city. As the British evacuated soldiers and equipment back to England, O’Hegarty came up with a brilliant plan to capture the munitions en route. Commandeering a tugboat from the Royal Navy base at Queenstown/Cobh, they sped out of the fortified harbour on a mission. Simultaneously, over eighty trucks and lorries were hijacked all across Cork, leaving citizens mystified as to what was going on. In a clever ruse, the IRA squad captured arms ship Upnor, bringing it into the small port of Ballycotton. The village, now under the control of IRA fighters, witnessed the unloading of weaponry onto waiting lorries then driven off to secret arms dumps throughout Cork. O’Hegarty's men seized eighty tons of arms, subsequently distributed to southern IRA divisions during the Civil War. This audacious act of piracy caused a sensation. A field day for the newspapers, The Irish Independent called it ‘an amazing exploit’; The Times ‘a clever and daring coup’.

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9781781174432

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Reviews

The Ballycotton Job is a must-read for anyone wishing to know about the turbulent struggle for Ireland and the Irish to be free of British rule in the early twentieth century. -- Pirates and Privateers

'The pacy narrative...is a great read' * Irish Times * 'A lively and enjoyable story.' 'A story that could make a riveting film.' 'The capture of the Upnor is told in graphic and exciting detail.' 'The writing is lively'. 'I very much enjoyed reading the book.' * Books Ireland Magazine * 'Superbly researched and written to read like a thriller. Yet contains details that put context into a fascinating period in our history. Highly recommended.' Pat B 'Researched and recorded in detail but written with all the excitement of a great adventure story.' 'The British warship Upnor was carrying huge quantities of arms and ammunition from Cobh (then Queenstown) to Woolwich in March 1922 and its capture by the anti-Treaty IRA was masterminded by Sean O'Hegarty, commandant Cork No 1 Brigade. His men commandeered a Royal Navy tugboat from Cobh, while simultaneously hijacking more than 80 trucks and lorries all over Cork. The tugboat towed Upnor into Ballycotton, where the munitions were loaded on to the waiting lorries, which distributed them to secret arms dumps. The daring venture supplied much of the weaponry used by the anti-Treaty IRA during the Civil War, thus significantly affecting that conflict. The pacy narrative, conveyed mainly from the perspectives of O'Hegarty and Admiral Sir Ernest Gaunt (head of the Royal Navy in Ireland), is a great read.' -- Brian Maye * The Irish Times *

‘The pacy narrative…is a great read’ * Irish Times * ‘A lively and enjoyable story.’ 'A story that could make a riveting film.’ ‘The capture of the Upnor is told in graphic and exciting detail.’ ‘The writing is lively’. ‘I very much enjoyed reading the book.’ * Books Ireland Magazine * 'Superbly researched and written to read like a thriller. Yet contains details that put context into a fascinating period in our history. Highly recommended.' Pat B 'Researched and recorded in detail but written with all the excitement of a great adventure story.' 'The British warship Upnor was carrying huge quantities of arms and ammunition from Cobh (then Queenstown) to Woolwich in March 1922 and its capture by the anti-Treaty IRA was masterminded by Seán O’Hegarty, commandant Cork No 1 Brigade. His men commandeered a Royal Navy tugboat from Cobh, while simultaneously hijacking more than 80 trucks and lorries all over Cork. The tugboat towed Upnor into Ballycotton, where the munitions were loaded on to the waiting lorries, which distributed them to secret arms dumps. The daring venture supplied much of the weaponry used by the anti-Treaty IRA during the Civil War, thus significantly affecting that conflict. The pacy narrative, conveyed mainly from the perspectives of O’Hegarty and Admiral Sir Ernest Gaunt (head of the Royal Navy in Ireland), is a great read.' -- Brian Maye * The Irish Times *

Author Information

Tom Mahon has spent years researching the story of The Upnor – scouring archives and libraries on three continents and visiting numerous historical sites. Referred to on 'Newstalk' as 'a really brilliant historian’ his previous ‘ground breaking’ book Decoding the IRA is described as a ‘masterful work’ (The City of Strangers, Michael Russell). -- Tom Mahon

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