On the morning of Saturday July 2nd 1921, a blistering hot day, Constable Frank Creedon (originally from Adrivale) and nine other policemen were sent on patrol from Tallow Police Barracks, which they did every day. This was at the height of the War of Independence and tensions were high. Unfortunately for the patrol, the I.R.A. had been observing their movements, and it was noticed that their usual procedure was to take different roads on alternate days on departure from the town. With rifles and machine guns, the I.R.A. took up positions in the Old Military Barracks, and on an adjoining hill on the expectation that they would move out by a certain road. However, the patrol went by an adjoining road which did not exactly meet the positions the I.R.A. had taken up, but in haste they started firing from a distance. When the shooting ceased after about ten minutes, the ambush parties withdrew. Constable Francis Creedon lay dead, two more policemen wounded, while the remaining policemen had rushed into some adjoining houses and escaped the fire. Only nine days before the truce that ended the War of Independence. He was buried in darkness at Drishane Cemetery, and left behind a young wife and two+ small children. Read more about what happened in our full article on him.
