Born in 1880 Francis Creedon was the son of Michael and Abby Creedon, farmers from Adrivale. In 1902 he joined the police force, the Royal Irish Constabulary, a peaceful time when a job as a policeman was seen as being well paid with a pension. He served in Armagh, Kerry, Coachford and Blarney. He married Hannah O’Reilly of Blarney in 1916, after which he was moved to Clashmore, and Tallow in Waterford.
On the morning of Saturday July 2nd 1921, a blistering hot day, he 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.
In haste, those positioned on the hill fired early, leaving those positioned in the Old Barrack a couple of hundred yards away from their target, instead of 30 yards away as intended. Not ideal from an attacking viewpoint, which was further complicated by couple of loads of hay on the street during the attack.
When the firing ceased after about ten minutes, the ambush parties withdrew to Boultha, Ballynoe, and later to Castlelyons area. Constable Francis Creedon lay dead, two more policemen wounded, while the remaining policemen had rushed into some adjoining houses and escaped the fire. Francis had been killed in the first volley of firing and died immediately, shot in the head and above the heart.
He was buried in the middle of the night two days later July 4th at Drishane Cemetery, leaving behind a young wife and two small children. Nine days later (July 11th) the ceasefire was called and the War of Independence was over. [read more …] “Frank Creedon of Adrivale, shot dead in 1921”
