Kildare History: Internment camps on the plains of the Curragh during the War of Independence Rath Camp was opened 100 years ago 4 Apr 2021 '); During the War of Independence (1919-21) County Kildare was home to one of the largest internment camps in the country. Thousands of men were imprisoned under emergency law — internment without trial. The purpose of internment was to contain people the British authorities felt were a threat, without making charges or having the intent to file any. On the morning of 21 November 1920 (Bloody Sunday), 14 British intelligence operatives were assassinated by members of Michael Collins’ Squad. Then in the afternoon crown forces opened fire on a crowd at a Croke Park, killing fourteen civilians and wounding 65. That night three republican prisoners were tortured and killed by their captors, the Auxiliaries, in Dublin Castle. As a direct consequence of Bloody Sunday the British authorities began a policy of large-scale arrests of known republican activists.