Crossbarry Ambush The Crossbarry Ambush occurred on 19 March 1921 and was one of the largest engagements of the Irish War of Independence . It took place at the rural crossroads of Crossbarry in County Cork , about 20 km south - west of Cork city . About a hundred Irish Republican Army ( IRA ) volunteers escaped an attempt by more than 1 , 300 British troops to encircle them . During the hour - long battle , between 10 and 30 British troops and three to six IRA volunteers were killed . Background . The increasing success of the IRA ' s 3rd Cork Brigade led to a spate of arrests and interrogations of suspected IRA volunteers in West Cork , in an effort to discover the identities and headquarters of the guerrillas . At this point the column had a total of 104 volunteers . On 15 February 1921 , the IRA mounted an abortive ambush of a troop train at Upton , in which six civilians and three IRA volunteers died . Several other volunteers were captured . The British succeeded in breaking an IRA volunteer under interrogation and discovered that the West Cork Brigade had its headquarters in Ballymurphy . The British also learned that the Brigade had recently returned to this area after several days waiting for an ambush on the Kinsale – Bandon road . The British commanders thus planned a major operation to capture the IRA column , mobilising about 1 , 200 troops , to converge on the area from several different directions . According to Tom Barry , 400 British troops came from Cork , 200 from Ballincollig , 300 from Kinsale and 350 from Bandon . Later in the day about 120 Auxiliaries also left Macroom . The British sweep was mounted early on the morning of 19 March . At Crossbarry , some of the troops descended from their lorries to proceed on foot or bicycle to try and catch the IRA unaware . Engagement . One early victim of the action was Charlie Hurley , the IRA Commanding Officer of the Cork Number Three Brigade . Hurley , who was recovering from a serious wound sustained at the Upton ambush , was trapped in a house and killed at about 6 : 30am . Tom Barry , only becoming aware of the danger at the last minute , resolved that his men , 104 strong , would have to fight their way out of the encirclement . Barry ' s calculation was that his men , who had only 40 rounds per man , could not sustain an all day fight , which they could expect if they retired before the British . Moreover , the likelihood was that the small column would be trapped if it took this course of action . However , Barry observed that one of the British columns advancing towards Crossbarry was well ahead of the other British units . If his men could break through this British force , roughly the same strength as his own force , then they could break out of the British encirclement . Barry laid out an ambush for the British at Crossbarry cross roads — his men being in position by 5 : 30 am . The first British lorries , about 12 vehicles according to Barry ' s account , came into view of the IRA at 8 : 00 am . When they reached Crossbarry , they were caught by surprise and hit by a crossfire at very close range — between and . They took significant casualties and many of them fled the scene . Barry ' s men collected the British arms and ammunition before setting fire to the lorries . At this point , they were attacked again by another British column of about 200 , coming from the southwest , but they too retreated after a stiff fire fight . Two more British units converging on the area from the southeast tried to dislodge the IRA from their ambush position , but again without success and they too fled in disorder . Taking the chance offered by his quick victory to get away , Barry then marched his men to safety in the Gurranereigh area , while the British were still disoriented by the ambush . There was another brief exchange of fire at long range as the IRA column got away . The action had lasted for under an hour . On realizing what had happened , Major Percival of the Essex Regiment rushed to the scene with his troops , but was only able to open a long range fire on the fleeing IRA men . He later blamed the failure of the British operation on the Auxiliary column which had gone to the wrong rendezvous point and had therefore left a gap in the encirclement . There were some further firefights along the IRA column ' s line of retreat at Crowhill and Rearour but with no further casualties on either side . Barry ' s account does not mention the use of the explosives , but contemporary press accounts reported that the three British lorries were destroyed by a mine planted under the bridge at Crossbarry and detonated as they passed . Aftermath . The reports of casualties inflicted in the ambush varied according to the source that reported them . Barry reported that three of his men were killed in the fight and another three wounded . British accounts claimed that six IRA men had died . The IRA claimed that over thirty British soldiers were killed in the action . The British admitted to only 10 killed and three wounded . The RIC memorial records that one RIC constable and six soldiers were killed . The New York Times , published the following day , reported the casualties as seven soldiers and one policeman killed , and seven IRA men killed . According to historian Peter Hart , the figure of 10 Crown forces personnel killed and four wounded , was " given in internal police and military documents and verified at the inquest " . Historian Michael Hopkinson concludes of the action , " With considerable justice , Crossbarry is regarded as victory for the IRA , but can also be seen as a missed opportunity for the British " .