This Date in Irish History

January 2, 1920 – Britain recruits an unofficial auxiliary army, composed of ex-British Army regular soldiers, to retaliate against Irish Republican Army (IRA) killings. The force came to be known as the “Black and Tans” because of their uniforms – dark green or black caps and khaki tunics. By the end of the year, their terror tactics had not only hardened Irish opinion against the British government (which sanctioned their activities), but became a byword of opprobrium for four generations of Irish.

Some of the worst Black-and-Tan excesses occurred in County Clare, where my father was a four-year-old boy. In September of that year, a resident magistrate was kidnapped near Doonbeg, buried in sand up to his neck, and left for dead. When six other comrades were ambushed later that day, the Black and Tans engaged in massive retaliation – killing six civilians in Miltown Malbay, Lahinch and Ennistymon, and torching twenty-six buildings, including the town halls in Lahinch and Ennistymon.

The tense atmosphere that ensued in that section of the Irish countryside following the atrocities can best be seen in the vivid description below. (See the section marked From Kilmurry Ibrickane Magazine 2000: "The Black and Tans are Coming"):
http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlcla/newspapers.html