The term Black and Tans refers to the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, which was one of two paramilitary forces employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary from 1920 to 1921, to suppress revolution in Ireland by targeting the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Black and tan may mean: Black and Tan a beer mix of stout and ale Black and Tans a paramilitary force in the Irish War of Independence Black and Tan War an alternative name for the Anglo-Irish War or Irish War of Independence Come Out Ye Black and Tans... The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was one of Irelands two police forces in the early twentieth century, alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Police. ... This article is about the historical army of the Irish Republic (1919–1922) which fought in the Irish War of Independence 1919–21, and the Irish Civil War 1922–23. ...

However, Black and Tans very often refers to both the RIC Reserve Force and the other RIC force raised for the Anglo-Irish War, the RIC Auxiliary Division. The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary organization within the RIC during the Anglo-Irish War. ...

Foundation

The late 19th and early 20th centuries in Ireland were dominated by the Irish pursuit of Home Rule or independence from the United Kingdom. Home Rule — limited self government — was passed by the British parliament in 1912, but postponed because of the outbreak of the First World War. Some radical Irish republicans saw Home Rule as being too limited a form of independence however. After the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916, however, when armed Irish nationalists staged a rebellion against British rule of Ireland, Irish nationalism was greatly radicalised and after public outrage at the execution of the rising's leaders and the threatened imposition of conscription on Ireland for the First World War, it was channelled into the revolutionary Sinn Féin movement. Sinn Féin won more than 80% of seats in Ireland at the 1918 general election and declared an independent Irish Republic. Violence broke out over British attempts to suppress this movement and in 1919, the Irish Volunteers, or Irish Republican Army, began the guerrilla campaign known as Irish War of Independence with attacks on the Royal Irish Constabulary. Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... A database query syntax error has occurred. ... Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... Irish Volunteers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... This article is about the historical army of the Irish Republic (1919–1922) which fought in the Irish War of Independence 1919–21, and the Irish Civil War 1922–23. ... Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was one of Irelands two police forces in the early twentieth century, alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Police. ...

In January 1920, the British government started advertising in British cities for men willing to "face a rough and dangerous task", helping to boost the ranks of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in policing an increasingly anti-British Ireland. There was no shortage of recruits, many of them First World War army veterans, and by November 1921 about 9,500 men had joined. This sudden influx of men led to a shortage of RIC uniforms, and the new recruits were issued with khaki army uniforms (usually only trousers) and dark green RIC or blue British police surplus tunics, caps and belts. This mixture gave rise to their nickname, the Black and Tans (in Irish, na Dúchrónaigh), from the name of a famous pack of foxhounds from Limerick. The name stuck even after the men received full RIC uniforms. The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was one of Irelands two police forces in the early twentieth century, alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Police. ... Khaki is a common material in military uniforms Khaki is a type of fabric or the colour of such fabric. ... The British police are a group of similar but independent police services which operate in the United Kingdom. ... Statistics Province: Munster County Town: Limerick Code: LK Area: 2,686 km² Population (2006) 183,863 (including Limerick City); 131,303 (without Limerick City) Website: www. ...

The new recruits received three months' hurried training, and were rapidly posted to RIC barracks, mostly in Dublin, Munster and eastern Connacht. The first men arrived on 25 March 1920. The government also raised another unit, the Auxiliary Division of the constabulary, known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies. This group was made up of ex-army officers. The Black and Tans acted with the Auxiliaries in the government's attempts to break the IRA. Statistics Area: 24,607. ... Statistics Area: 17,713. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary organization within the RIC during the Anglo-Irish War. ...

In action in Ireland

Members of the Black and Tans were paid the relatively good wage of 10 shillings a day plus full board and lodging. With minimal police training, their main role was to strengthen the military might of police posts, where they functioned as sentries, guards, escorts for government agents, reinforcement to the regular police, and crowd control, and mounted a determined counter-insurgency campaign. The Black and Tans and the Auxies became known as Tudor's Toughs after the police commander, Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Tudor. They were viewed by Republicans as an army of occupation because of these duties. They soon gained a reputation for brutality^[1], as the RIC campaign against the IRA and Sinn Féin members was stepped up and police reprisals for IRA attacks were condoned by the government. Counter-insurgency is the combating of insurgency, by the government (or allies) of the territory in which the insurgency takes place. ... Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Tudor Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Tudor, KCB, CMG, (1871-1965) was a British soldier who fought as a junior officer in the Second Boer War (1899-1902), and as a senior officer in the First World War (1914-18), but is now remembered chiefly... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Alexander Will, from Forfar in Scotland, was the first Black and Tan to die in the conflict, during an IRA attack on the RIC barracks in Rathmore, County Kerry, on 11 July 1920. Forfar is a town and former royal burgh of approximately 13,500 people, located in the unitary authority of Angus in Scotland. ... Rathmore (An Ráth Mhór in Irish) is a small town in Kerry, Ireland, lying about 1 km west of the border with Cork. ... Statistics Province: Munster County Town: Tralee Code: KY Area: 4,746 km² Population (2006) 139,616 Website: www. ...

The Black and Tans were not subject to strict discipline in their early months in Ireland and as a result, the deaths of Black and Tans at the hands of the IRA in 1920 were often repaid with arbitrary reprisals against the civilian population. In the summer of 1920, the Black and Tans burned and sacked many small towns and villages in Ireland, beginning with Tuam in County Galway in July 1920 and also including Trim, Balbriggan, Thurles and Templemore amongst many others. In November 1920, the Tans "besieged" Tralee in revenge for the IRA abduction and killing of two local RIC men. They closed all the businesses in the town and let no food in for a week. In addition they shot dead three local people. On 14 November, the Tans abducted and murdered a Roman Catholic priest, Fr Michael Griffin, in Galway. His body was found in a bog in Barna a week later. Finally, the Black and Tans sacked Cork city, on the night of 11 December 1920, the centre of which was burned out — destroying more than 300 buildings. They also shot dead two IRA suspects in the city that night. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Galway Code: G (GY proposed) Area: 6,148 km² Population (2006) 231,035 (including Galway City); 159,052 (without Galway City) Website: www. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Irish Grid Reference Q828141 Statistics Province: Munster County: Elevation: 37 m Population (2006)  - Town:  - Rural:   20,258  1,932 Website: www. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Connacht County: Dáil Éireann: Galway West European Parliament: North-West Dialling Code: 091 Postal District(s): G Area: 50. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Munster County: Area: 37. ...

In January 1921, the British Labour Commission produced a report on the situation in Ireland which was highly critical of the government's security policy. It said the government, in forming the Black and Tans, had "liberated forces which it is not at present able to dominate". However since 29 December 1920, the British government had sanctioned "official reprisals" in Ireland — usually meaning burning property of IRA men and their suspected sympathisers. Taken together with an increased emphasis on discipline in the RIC, this helped to curb the random atrocities the Black and Tans committed since March 1920 for the remainder of the war, if only because reprisals were now directed from above rather than being the result of a spontaneous desire for revenge. (see also Chronology of the Irish War of Independence). This page aims to give a chronology of actions in the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921. ...

However, many of the atrocities popularly attributed to the Black and Tans were probably committed by the far more brutal Auxiliaries; some were committed by Irish RIC men. For instance, Thomas MacCurtain, the mayor of Cork, was assassinated in March 1920 by local RIC men and the massacre of 13 civilians at Croke Park on Bloody Sunday was also carried out by the RIC although a small detachment of Auxiliaries were also present. Moreover, the regular British Army also committed atrocities, burning the towns of Mallow and Fermoy for example. However most Republicans did not make a distinction, and "Black and Tans" was often used as a catch-all term for all police and army groups. Tomás Mac Curtain 1884-1920 Ardmhéara Chorcaí 30 Eanáir- 20 Márta 1920 Tomás Mac Curtain (March 20, 1884 - March 20, 1920) was a Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland. ... Croke Park (Irish: Páirc an Chrócaigh) in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports stadium in Ireland and the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Irelands biggest sporting organisation. ... Bloody Sunday of 1920 was a day of violence in Dublin on November 21, 1920, during the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), which led to the deaths of more than 30 people. ... Mallow is the common name of several closely related genera of plant in the family Malvaceae: Althaea – Marsh mallow Callirhoe – Poppy mallow Kosteletzkya – Seashore mallow Lavatera – Tree mallow or rose mallow Malacothamnus – Santa Cruz Island bush-mallow Malva – Mallow Malvaviscus – Turks cap mallow Sidalcea – Greek mallow Sphaeralcea – Globemallow Plants... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ...

The actions of the Black and Tans alienated public opinion in Ireland and Britain, with many preferring peace instead of the bitter fighting tactics the Black and Tans were using to hold on to Ireland. Edward Wood MP, a future Foreign Secretary, rejected force and urged the British government to offer the Irish an offer "conceived on the most generous lines".^[2] Sir John Simon MP, another future Foreign Secretary, was also horrified at the tactics being used. Lionel Curtis, writing in the imperialist journal The Round Table, wrote: "If the British Commonwealth can only be preserved by such means, it would become a negation of the principle for which it has stood".^[3] The King, senior Anglican bishops, MPs from the Liberal and Labour parties, Oswald Mosley, Jan Smuts, the Trades Union Congress and parts of the press were increasingly critical the actions of the Black and Tans. Mahatma Gandhi said of the British peace offer: "It is not fear of losing more lives that has compelled a reluctant offer from England but it is the shame of any further imposition of agony upon a people that loves liberty above everything else".^[4] Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, KG, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC (16 April 1881–23 December 1959), known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and as The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a British Conservative politician. ... The Right Honourable John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon (1873-1954) was a British politician and statesman. ... Lionel Curtis (1872–1955) British official and author who advocated British Empire Federalism and, late in life, a world state. ... The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs is a policy matters journal relating to the British Commonwealth. ... This article is about the historic Liberal Party. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (November 16, 1896 – December 3, 1980), was a British politician known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists. ... Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS (May 24, 1870 – September 11, 1950) was a prominent South African and Commonwealth statesman, military leader, and philosopher. ... Image:TradeUnionsCongress20050108 CopyrightKaihsuTai. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: , Hindi: , IAST: mohandās karamcand gāndhī, IPA: ) (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948), was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. ...

About 7,000 Black and Tans served in Ireland in 1920-22. More than one-third of the Black and Tans died or left the service before they were disbanded along with the rest of the RIC in 1922, an extremely high wastage rate, and well over half received government pensions. A total of 404 members of the Royal Irish Constabulary died in the conflict and more than 600 were wounded but it is not clear how many of these were pre-war RIC men and how many were Black and Tans or Auxiliaries. The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was one of Irelands two police forces in the early twentieth century, alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Police. ...

Those who returned to civilian life sometimes had problems re-integrating. At least two former Black and Tans were hanged for murder in Britain and another wanted for murder committed suicide before the police could arrest him ^[5].

Legacy

Due to the ferocity of the Tans' behaviour in Ireland and the atrocities which they committed, feelings continue to run high regarding their actions. "Black and Tan" or "Tan" remains a pejorative term for British in Ireland. One of the most famous Irish Republican songs is Dominic Behan's Come Out Ye Black And Tans. The Irish War of Independence is often referred to by Irish republicans as the "Tan War" or "Black-and-Tan War". This term was preferred by those who had fought on the losing side in the Irish Civil War as they believed that Ireland had not yet won its full independence. "If a police barracks is burned or if the barracks already occupied is not suitable, then the best house in the locality is to be commandeered, the occupants thrown into the gutter. Let them die there – the more the merrier. Should the order ("Hands Up") not be immediately obeyed, shoot and shoot with effect. If the persons approaching (a patrol) carry their hands in their pockets, or are in any way suspicious-looking, shoot them down. You may make mistakes occasionally and innocent persons may be shot, but that cannot be helped, and you are bound to get the right parties some time. The more you shoot, the better I will like you, and I assure you no policeman will get into trouble for shooting any man." Dominic Behan (22 October 1928 - 3 August 1989)(Gaelic: Doiminic Ó Beacháin) was an Irish songwriter, short story writer, novelist and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. ... Come Out Ye Black and Tans (sometimes Black and Tan) is an Irish rebel song referring to the Black and Tans, the British paramilitary police auxiliary force in Ireland during the 1920s. ... Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ...

Lt. Col. Smyth, June 1920^[6]

Other controversy

In April of 2006, ice cream makers Ben & Jerry's caused controversy by releasing a new flavour of ice cream in the United States called "Black & Tan", named after a drink of the same name. Ben & Jerry's released a statement commenting that: "Any reference on our part to the British Army unit was absolutely unintentional and no ill-will was ever intended", and has since apologised. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

References

1. ^ Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force "a byword for brutality" - The Guardian, October 12 1921
2. ^ Lord Birkenhead, Halifax (Hamish Hamilton, 1965), p. 122.
3. ^ Lionel Curtis, The Round Table, Vol. XI, No. 43 (June 1921), p. 505.
4. ^ Lawrence James, The Rise and Fall of the British Empire (Abacus, 1998), p. 384.
5. ^ The Black and Tans - Bennet, Richard - 1959, Page 222
6. ^ The Black and Tans

See also

• Royal Irish Constabulary
• Royal Ulster Constabulary
• Ulster Special Constabulary
• Auxiliary Division
• Counties of Ireland
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley (film)

The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was one of Irelands two police forces in the early twentieth century, alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Police. ... The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ... The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) was a reserve force of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. ... The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary organization within the RIC during the Anglo-Irish War. ... For much of its history, the island of Ireland was divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: ). Two historical counties, County Desmond and County Coleraine, no longer exist. ... The Wind That Shakes The Barley is a Palme dOr-winning 2006 film set during the Irish War of Independence (1919–21) and the subsequent Irish Civil War (1922–3). ...

External links

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/events/northern_ireland/history/newsid_64000/64204.stm
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,209091,00.html
• http://www.psni.police.uk/museum/text/rictoruc.htm
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/northern_ireland/newsid_784000/784872.stm
• http://www.kcs.cambs.sch.uk/depts/history/detailed/ireland.htm
• http://www.cant.ac.uk/depts/acad/history/coursebooks/edge-ofthe-union.DOC
• http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00000009/01/Ainsworth_Black_conf.PDF
• http://homepage.tinet.ie/~abbeydorney/book/burning.html
• Chronology of Irish History 1919 - 1923
• http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21042006/325/ben-amp-jerry-s-sorry-black-amp-tan-upset.html - Ben & Jerry's Controversy News Article (Source: Yahoo! News)
• http://www.thewindthatshakesthebarley.co.uk