Why Northern Ireland was formed and why it must be maintained.
We look at the factors in the protection of the Protestant/Unionist minority on the Island of Ireland.

We will look at the Ethnic cleansing of Protestants from Southern Ireland (26 Counties) and then the Republic of Ireland. Up to 1923.

In 1911 Protestants in Southern Ireland numbered 300,000 10% of the population (excluding Protestants from the British Army)
2011 Census Protestants in Southern Ireland numbered 137,000 3% of the population.

The Protestant exodus was at its most dramatic between 1922-1923
This exodus was mainly due to armed rebellion by the IRA, murder land grabs, intimidation, Protestant business boycotted, cattle stolen, property stolen, houses and properties burned down.

These families had lived in these homes and farms for hundreds of years.
Protestants were subjected to widespread sectarian attacks, we will list some below.
Sectarian murder of Protestants in the Republic of Ireland by the IRA 1919-1923.

Documents from Irish Grants Committee/ Shaw Renton Committee record the following murders, many more were murdered and thousands forced to flee their homes leaving everything behind.

1919 Co. Clare seventy Protestant landowners were forced from their farms and property stolen
1919-1923 Co. Cork 122 Protestants were murdered, 113 homes burned

1920 - Co. Limerick De Burgh family attacked by 50 IRA men, they fled and returned in 1924 to reclaim their land, de Burgh was shot twice by the Ira and wounded one of the terrorists, the family fled to Canada.

1920 - Co. Roscommon Mr Levin house attacked and destroyed after refusing to hand over his house to the IRA. Similar happened in co. Westmeath to Mr Featherstonehaugh and Mr King in Co. Galway. Looting and land grabbing was happening in every County.

1921 – Co. Cork Mrs Mary Lindsay & James Clark Kidnapped, shot, the house burned, their bodies have never been found.

1921- Co. Cork L.C. Warren john Peacock Ulster Division (9th Skins) a decorated war hero from Thiepval 1st July 1916. A few weeks later his widowed mother was burnt out of her home and possessions looted. The family fled to Somerset.

1921- Co. Cork Skibbereen. Two Protestant Farmers were murdered in front of their families, William Connell & Matthew Sweetman for refusing to give donations to the IRA. A young man named Daly was ordered to murder Connell, he refused and was murdered by the IRA for disobeying.

1921- Co. Cork John Good, a farmer was brutally murdered by the IRA. William Good his son was murdered by the Ira attending his father’s funeral. The rest of the family fled leaving everything they owned behind

1921- Co. Monaghan The Fleming family were attacked by 40 IRA men, William Fleming 64 and his son surrendered but were shot dead and thrown in a ditch, the house was burned, His wife died of shock weeks later and left two grandchildren, orphans, in the workhouse in Monaghan

1921- Co. Cavan 80 yrs. Old retired Dean of Leighlin Catherdral was taken from his home, shot in the head and his head beaten to a pulp.

1921. Co. Tipperary Protestant farmer Robert Stone was shot dead. Crossley Boyle was shot a month later and his body found in the same location Robert Stone was found. Both had received threats from Sinn Feiners.

1921. Co. Tipperary George Friend who was a JP was shot dead on his way home, George
Sackville Wallace a protestant civil bill officer was also shot dead.

1921. Co. Offaly Teenage brothers Richard and Abraham Pearson were both shot in the groin at their farm in Coolacrease, they were left to bleed to death in agony, Their house was burned down and the family were left to flee and emigrated to Australia.

1922- West Cork twenty-nine Protestants were attacked in Bandon Valley thirteen of them were murdered. The victims included small farmers, businessmen, shopkeepers, a 16 yrs. old disabled child and a post clerk.

Many historians have described these as the worst outbreaks of sectarian homicide during this period. One of the 29 who survived was Revd. Ralph Harbord who was shot outside the COI rectory in Murragh, he suffered ill health from his injuries for the remainder of his life.

1922- West Cork Thomas Hornibrook, his son Sam Hornibrook and nephew Herbert Woods, after an attack on their house they agreed to surrender, Woods was beaten and dragged to his death behind a car, Thomas and Sam were shot dead, their bodies were disappeared to this day.

No one was ever held responsible for these murders, The Irish Republican Police was made up of IRA men. 200 Protestants fled the Bandon Valley following these killings.

1922. Co. Mayo Newport Revd Henry forced to flee his church with his family after threats from the IRA, they burned down the church rectory after his departure. The family fled to Bournemouth.

1922. Co Tipperary 10 IRA men entered a house in Nenagh, the house owner a disabled man Mr Briggs and elderly man Thomas Webb were locked up. The men proceeded to ransack the house and drank whiskey and raped Mrs Briggs.

Four men were later charged with assault and rape of Mrs Briggs and fined £100. Another outrage took place at Sopwell hall were 5 Ira men attempted to rape two teenage Protestant girls.

1923. Co. Tipperary Protestant farmer Henry Colclough was shot dead; the previous year the tails had been cut off his prize-winning hunters cattle rendering them unsaleable.

These are but a few of the barbaric murders which took place at this time, most families who were not murdered were left destitute, Small amounts of compensation, was paid by the Irish Government other received nothing and lost their homes and centaury owned farmland

The Most Revd. Dr Fogarty the Roman Catholic Bishop of Killahoe said “Protestant fellow countrymen had been persecuted and dealt with in a cruel and coarse manner”
There seems to be an unwillingness by Irish historians to shine a light on this dark period of Irish History

This is the story of Teenage brothers Richard and Abraham Pearson who were brutally murdered at Coolacrease