North Gate Bridge - July 18 1920

It was a hot Summer Saturday night in Cork city when trouble broke out between retired and serving members of the British army. It began with the death of 42 year old James Bourke from Victoria Terrace, Blarney Street. 

James Bourke

Bourke was with other men at North Gate Bridge, making his way home from the pub. They got into an argument with two off duty soldiers and constables from nearby Shandon Street Barracks arrived to intervene but then, a lorry of the dreaded South Staffordshire Regiment who were on a curfew patrol arrived and used brutal force to disperse the men. 

North Gate Bridge in the early 20th Century. 

The South Staffordshires fired their guns and then proceeded to bayonet those who did not disperse. Mr Bourke, a former member of the Munster Fusiliers, recieved a bayonet in his side which ultimately killed him. 

View of North Gate Bridge from the south.

The following evening a group of angry friends of Mr Bourke aided by ex-members of the British forces gathered at the scene of his death at the North Gate Bridge. The night before as Mr Bourke lay dead someone had written, in his blood, on the quay wall where he was murdered: "RIP killed by military of Staffordshire Reg." It was still there when the angry group gathered the following evening. 

North Gate Bridge today.

The military arrived to disperse the crowd that had gathered at the bridge, and did so with brutal force. An armoured car arrived and unleashed a hail of bullets. As people screamed and scattered in all directions, William McGrath, a 34 year old from Coach Street and a former member of the Leinster Regiment, spotted a terrified girl huddled at the top of Angel Lane, off North Main Street. To save her from being trampled by panicked crowds or shot by the military, Mr McGrath scooped her up with his one arm (he lost the other one during his service in WWI) and managed to place her safely into a nearby house. 

Angel Lane, off North Main Street. 

As Mr McGrath emerged from Angel Lane and back onto North Gate Bridge a bullet from a military armoured car machine gun cut him down. William McGrath worked as a docker following his return from WWI with one arm and his widow was later awarded £1,500 compensation and each of his three children were awarded £300. 

William McGrath.

James Bourke who's murder sparked the outrage was buried at Curraghkippane cemetery following a large funeral from the North Cathedral. Former comrades carried Mr Bourke's coffin while the cortege contained  5,000 members of the Discharged and Demobilised Soldiers and Sailors Federation. One of the pallbearers was from it's Bandon Branch - Tom Barry, who served with the Royal Field Artillery in WWI. Four months later he would lead the IRA's attack against crown forces at Kimichael.