The Burning of Cork: an interactive map
The burning of Cork by British forces in December 1920 devastated the city. Explore the event with this interactive map
• 11 Dec 2020
This interactive map provides a visual overview of the buildings destroyed, damaged and looted during the so-called burning of Cork by British forces on 11-12 December 1920. Based on new research, it builds on a map published by the Irish Labour Party and Trade Union Congress in in their pamphlet
Who burnt Cork city? A tale of arson, loot and murder (January 1921)
It was designed and produced by Mike Murphy and Charlie Roche, cartographers for University College Cork s Atlas of the Irish Revolution.
Terror in Cork: the burning of a city
It was an act of revenge that destroyed a city and terrorised its inhabitants. Gerry White tells the story of the Burning of Cork
• 10 Dec 2020
On the morning of 11 December 1920, a climate of fear and uncertainty hung over the city of Cork. Though Christmas was a mere two weeks away, the people of the city had little to be cheerful about. That morning, Cork was a city at war.
The previous eleven months had seen Cork No. 1 Brigade of the IRA intensify its campaign of guerrilla warfare against the forces of the Crown. In response, the British authorities had sent Black and Tans reinforcements to the RIC, imposed curfew, introduced Martial Law and deployed K Company of the Auxiliary Division of the RIC to Victoria Barracks. A series of nocturnal arson attacks on the City Hall, Sinn Féin offices, business premises and the homes of republican sympathisers had also taken place.