Espousing the cause of Labour became a dangerous position throughout the autumn and winter of 1920 as union members became the target of the military and the police.

  In some cases the Black and Tans as they marauded through the countryside paid little heed to who was who and often targeted the offices of prominent local officials. In November 1920 the secretary of the ITGWU in Ardee, county Louth, James Dolan was targeted in this manner when the Tans wrecked his business premises in the town. Searching for Dolan, the Tans proceeded to wreck the shop and took large quantities of spirits along with the Transport Union correspondence, roll books etc. During the same week the ITGWU branch in Cloncurry, county Kildare was raided; the branch records stolen along with over £33 in cash. In Tullamore in King’s County (now Offaly) the raid on the unions premises resulted in the burning of the building after all or the correspondence etc was seized. Again, as at Ardee and Cloncurry the raiders sought to capture the secretaries of these branches who all survived but were immediately ‘on the run’. The union called on the British government and Sir Hamar Greenwood in particular to answers the questions about the attack on these three union rooms, although many more throughout the country were subjected to the same fate.  

Source : The Watchword of Labour, 13 November 1920, page 7.

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