Local History: Black and Tans in Kildare during the War of Independence Historian James Durney examines the activities of the feared Black and Tans in Kildare 100 years ago during the War of Independence, in May 1921 — and reveals the stories of some Kildare men serving on the side of the British Reporter: '); '); When recruitment to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was opened to residents in Britain, thousands of unemployed ex-servicemen joined up. A substantial pay rise for Irish police from £2 11 shillings to £3 10 shillings per week helped boost recruitment at a time when there were about 167,000 ex-servicemen receiving unemployment benefits in Britain. These British recruits were promptly dubbed the ‘Black and Tans’ because they wore a mixture of British army khaki and RIC bottle-green uniforms — which from a distance looks black.