![]() He resisted the militarization of the police and believed ex-soldiers could not be controlled by police discipline. The RIC's Inspector General, Joseph Byrne, was against it. The idea was promoted by French as well as by Frederick Shaw, Commander of the British Army in Ireland. British Unionist leader Walter Long had suggested recruiting these men into the RIC in a May 1919 letter to John French, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Īfter the First World War, there were many unemployed ex-servicemen in Britain. In September 1919 David Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister, outlawed the Dáil and augmented the British Army presence in Ireland. The Dáil called on the public to boycott the RIC, while the Irish Republican Army (IRA) began attacking police barracks and ambushing police patrols. On 21 January 1919, Sinn Féin followed through on its manifesto and founded an independent Irish parliament (Dáil Éireann), which then declared an independent Irish Republic. Growing support amongst the Irish populace for the republican Sinn Féin party saw it win a majority of Irish seats in the 1918 general election. The issue of Home Rule was shelved with the outbreak of World War I, and in 1916 Irish republicans staged the Easter Rising against British rule in an attempt to establish an independent republic. The early 20th century in Ireland was dominated by Irish nationalists' pursuit of Home Rule from the United Kingdom. He partly blames Wikipedia for promoting this and other misconceptions about the Black and Tans. Leeson has not found any historical documents that refer to the Black and Tans as the 'Royal Irish Constabulary Special Reserve'. Some sources say the Black and Tans were officially named the "RIC Special Reserve", but this is denied by other sources, which say they were not a separate force but "recruits to the regular RIC" and "enlisted as regular constabulary". Ennis comedian Mike Nono elaborated the joke in Limerick's Theatre Royal, and the nickname soon took hold, persisting even after the men received full RIC uniforms. ![]() Christopher O'Sullivan wrote in the Limerick Echo on 25 March 1920 that, meeting a group of recruits on a train at Limerick Junction, the attire of one reminded him of the Scarteen Hunt, whose "Black and Tans" nickname derived from the colours of its Kerry Beagles. Due to a shortage of RIC uniforms, the new recruits were issued with a mixture of dark RIC tunics and caps, and khaki army trousers. The nickname "Black and Tans" arose from the improvised uniforms they initially wore. Another force, the Ulster Special Constabulary, was founded to reinforce the RIC in Northern Ireland. However, sometimes the term "Black and Tans" covers both groups. The Black and Tans were sometimes confused with the Auxiliary Division, a counter-insurgency unit of the RIC, also recruited during the conflict and made up of former British officers. Their actions further swayed Irish public opinion against British rule and drew condemnation in Britain. The Black and Tans gained a reputation for brutality and became notorious for reprisal attacks on civilians and civilian property, including extrajudicial killings, arson and looting. By 1921, Black and Tans made up almost half of the RIC in County Tipperary, for example. They served in all parts of Ireland, but most were sent to southern and western regions where fighting was heaviest. The nickname "Black and Tans" arose from the colours of the improvised uniforms they initially wore, a mixture of dark green RIC (which appeared black) and khaki British Army. They were to help the overstretched RIC maintain control and suppress the Irish Republican Army (IRA), although they were less well trained in ordinary policing. The British administration in Ireland promoted the idea of bolstering the RIC with British recruits. Some sources count a small number of Irishmen as 'Black and Tans'. The vast majority were unemployed former British soldiers from Britain who had fought in the First World War. Recruitment began in Great Britain in January 1920 and about 10,000 men enlisted during the conflict. The Black and Tans ( Irish: Dúchrónaigh) were constables recruited into the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) as reinforcements during the Irish War of Independence. ![]() A Black and Tan in Dublin, smoking and carrying a Lewis gun, February 1921
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