As the War of Independence intensified intelligence gathering became an important feature of the conflict and gave volunteers experience on active service. One of the many areas of intelligence gathering was the targeting of post as it was being delivered throughout the country. Quite often, this included post which was directed towards local magistrates and justices of the peace, local landowners and others who were deemed to be sympathetic or collaborating with the British authorities. One such daring raid on the delivery of post, and a major setback to Dublin castle, was the raid on the mail van, which occurred on 6 March 1920 at Frederick Lane, Dominick Street at 8.30am in the morning. In a well-prepared attack, armed and masked men stopped the mail van emptying the car of its entire contents. Described as acting with ‘complete coolness’ and displaying in-depth knowledge of the layout and arrangements for carrying the mail to and from Dublin Castle, this was a massive blow to the authorities. Neither Dublin Castle nor the police would offer any comment on the content of the post, which had been stolen, but it likely contained sensitive information about the IRA and its movements. The delivery of post would soon become a dangerous occupation throughout Ireland as the IRA continued to target trains and post offices in an attempt to intercept classified information.
Download Source: Sligo Champion, 6 March 1920, page 8
Sligo Champion 1879-current, Saturday, March 06, 1920 PAGE 80
As the War of Independence intensified intelligence gathering became an important feature of the conflict and gave volunteers experience on active service. One of the many areas of intelligence gathering was the targeting of post as it was being delivered throughout the country. Quite often, this included post which was directed towards local magistrates and justices of the peace, local landowners and others who were deemed to be sympathetic or collaborating with the British authorities. One such daring raid on the delivery of post, and a major setback to Dublin castle, was the raid on the mail van, which occurred on 6 March 1920 at Frederick Lane, Dominick Street at 8.30am in the morning. In a well-prepared attack, armed and masked men stopped the mail van emptying the car of its entire contents. Described as acting with ‘complete coolness’ and displaying in-depth knowledge of the layout and arrangements for carrying the mail to and from Dublin Castle, this was a massive blow to the authorities. Neither Dublin Castle nor the police would offer any comment on the content of the post, which had been stolen, but it likely contained sensitive information about the IRA and its movements. The delivery of post would soon become a dangerous occupation throughout Ireland as the IRA continued to target trains and post offices in an attempt to intercept classified information.
Download Source: Sligo Champion, 6 March 1920, page 8