"I helped burn cork"

Early in 1920 the Unionist minority was spread throughout the county. However unionists do appear to have been concentrated in Cork city, Queenstown, and in towns and villages in rural West Cork such as Bandon and Skibbereen. Both of the latter villages for example proudly flew the Union flag to mark the victory in WW1; "A large Union Jack floated from the Post Office buildings, the Protestant Church, Hollybrook House and other residences throughout the day" .

The Irish Unionist Alliance and Unionist Anti-Partition League were organised throughout the county. Whilst the Constitution tended to take the side of the IUA, it gave over many column inches to covering the activities of both groupings. The IUA had district branches organised in Bandon, Buttevant, Charleville, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Durras, Fermoy, Glanmire, Innishannon, Kilmun, Mallow, Mitchelstown, Monkstown, Muskerry, Newmarket, Queenstown, Rosscarberry, Skibbereen, Schull, Timoleague and Youghal, as well as in Cork city itself.

Referring to the Queenstown urban council the republican historian McCarthy talks witheringly of the "unionist influences still strongly embedded in the town" asserting that "the UDC had several unionists in its midst". O'Callaghan, Saunders and Downing were three such unionists, forced to term themselves independents as "there was little else they could have called themselves in the political climate that prevailed at the time."

Referring to Bandon the ex-IRA man Liam Deasy comments that it's inhabitants had "changed little in their loyalties with the passing of the years they could scarcely have been more opposed to the Volunteers"

Therefore, throughout 1920 the IRA began a systematic campaign of murdering those whom they felt were not entirely sympathetic to their cause. By mid-July the revolution had gathered ground and the Constitution began to reflect the views of a community which saw itself as being increasingly isolated and under siege. This sense of isolation translated itself easily into strong support for the police and for the concept of Law and Order. Under the headline "Ireland in Revolution" the editorial reminded readers that "Seven shocking murders have been perpetrated in West Cork" - going on to call for greater assistance for the loyal community in the county. "Crime in Ireland" became a central editorial theme and horror was expressed at the Sinn Fein practice of

"dragging young girls from their beds and shearing off their hair with every circumstance of terror as a means of intimidating them from associating with policemen and soldiers"

In the light of such IRA activity it is hardly surprising that the paper commented with satisfaction on the "armed constabulary" shutting down a Sinn Fein court in Foynes. The paper also carried in full a government notice announcing a curfew for Cork - a tactic which had the whole-hearted support of the editor.

CDfm wrote: »

You only had the franchise for men over 21 and women over 30 since 1919 and I can imagine that at the date of the event that business people will have adapted to the changes too. They could not ignore the reality.

So, in that way, punishment and intimidation was being meted out indiscriminately to both communities.

The fact that Unionists joined nationalists in reacting with outrage to the burning of Cork city demonstrates that, whilst pro-British, they were unwilling to go along with the excesses of some of the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries. An editorial in the Constitution called for an independent inquiry into the burnings:

"The demand for a satisfying inquiry is becoming irresistible and should it not be forthcoming the public will naturally draw conclusions by no means complimentary to the Administration"