The Burning of Cork 1920: A City in Flames

In December 1920, the city of Cork was engulfed in flames as British forces retaliated against the Irish Republican Army's ambush of an auxiliary patrol. This episode tells the story of the Burning of Cork — a key event in the Irish War of Independence that saw Black and Tans and Auxiliaries torch over forty buildings, including the City Hall and Carnegie Library. We explore the context of the IRA's Kilmichael Ambush, the British strategy of collective punishment, and the human cost of the destruction. Through eyewitness accounts and historical records, Lucas and Luna examine how the burning galvanized international opinion against British rule and shaped the path to the Anglo-Irish Treaty. This episode covers the role of figures like Tom Barry, the experience of Cork's firefighters who battled the inferno, and the lasting legacy of a city scarred — but not broken — by war. #BurningOfCork #IrishWarOfIndependence #BlackAndTans #Auxiliaries #TomBarry #KilmichaelAmbush #Cork #IRA #BritishEmpire #1920 #IrishHistory #Ireland #Revolution #SackOfCork #CityHall #CarnegieLibrary #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo