Tooreen Ambush

Tooreen Ambush marks the first major battle of the 3rd Cork Brigade on 22 October 1920, when thirty-two volunteers hid behind a timber gate to strike two British lorries. The failed home-made mine and unexploded bomb forced a sudden firefight that killed Captain Dixon and broke the Essex Regiment's resistance. The British surrendered their weapons, while the first lorry escaped toward Cork Barracks, leaving the road marked by a sudden shift from quiet training to lethal action.