Michael McCarthy (1895 - 28 November 1920) was an Irish revolutionary who fought in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence. He is best remembered for his participation as acting as Tom Barry's second in command and death during the Kilmichael ambush.
Early life Michael McCarthy was born in 1895 to parents Daniel and Marie McCarthy. His father Daniel was a cooper by trade. Marie and their children would have to help around the shop. Michael would make a wage of around £3 per week while working in his father’s shop.Military Archives Staff. “F456 Michael McCarthy.Pdf.” Military Service Pension Collection | Defence Forces Military Archives. Accessed January 24, 2026. http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/docs/files//PDF_Pensions/R5/1D295%20Michael%20McCarthy/F456%20Michael%20McCarthy.pdf. Due to Daniel’s poor health and raids by the British Constabulary, his business did poorly. He was also an active member in the Irish Republican Movement. According to family lore, Daniel would go on to be jailed between 23 and 28 times due to his Anti-British Activities in a period of 1916 to 1921. He was close friends with many of the Irish Republican leadership including Michael Collins and Tom Barry. Collins and Barry would be seen in the household and drinking at the local pub with Daniel on many occasions. Daniel would eventually be one of the heads the Munster IRA and participated in The Easter Rising in 1916. Growing up Michael was exposed to Ireland’s Pro-Independence National Movement, especially by his father and his colleagues in the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Irish Volunteers.
Irish War Of Independence He would eventually leave home to join the IRA, particularly under the leadership of General Tom Barry.
For a short time at the beginning of the war he was sent to England to conduct IRA activities by request of Michael Collins.Military Archives Staff. “1D295 Michael McCarthy.Pdf.” Military Service Pension Collection | Defence Forces Military Archives, 2003. http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/docs/files//PDF_Pensions/R5/1D295%20Michael%20McCarthy/1D295%20Michael%20McCarthy.pdf. He was eventually captured by British authorities and was held at Wormwood Scrubs Prison in London. On 28 April 1920, a group of around 20 Irish Republicans within the prison organized a hunger strike in order to be released. McCarthy was one of 315 prisoners who joined the hunger strike, where he starved himself for 18 days.O’Hir, Paidin. “Cork.” Irish History 1913-1923, October 30, 2013. https://paddy1992addy.wordpress.com/tag/cork/.
Upon his return to Cork, he reunited with Barry and other members of the Third West Cork Brigade. It is assumed he took part in the Tooreen Ambush since he was serving with Barry at the time, who was leading the ambush, and had knowledge of a lorry's escape during the ambush.Keane, Barry. Cork’s revolutionary dead: 1916-1923. Cork, Ireland: Mercier Press, 2017. He would eventually be promoted up to the rank of Captain and was a vice commandant of The 3rd West Cork Brigade. Upon his evaluation, it was stated that he had no misconduct during his military duties and he had received a medal. During his time back in Cork, while still being "on the run", his father was solely dependent on him financially.
Preparation For The Kilmichael Ambush The first Auxiliaries from C Company had arrived in Cork on 27 July 1920. C Company would later be joined by L Company in October and J Company and K Company in November 1920. C Company under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Buxton Smith, set up command in Macroom in Macroom Castle.Grant, David. “C Company ADRIC.” The Auxiliaries. Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.theauxiliaries.com/companies/c-coy/c-coy.html. The Auxiliaries would conduct raids, occasionally drunk, against the Irish populus in order to intimidate them away from joining the IRA. Key raids occurred in Dunmanway, Coppeen and Castletown-Kinneigh. According to Barry’s memoir, Guerilla Days in Ireland, it is said that before Kilmichael the IRA hardly fired a shot at the Auxiliaries, which "had a very serious effect on the morale of the whole people as well as on the IRA".Barry, Tom. Guerilla Days in Ireland. Dublin: Mercier Press, 1981
On October 17, 1920, James Lehane, a civilian who did not have any political ties to either side, was killed while visiting Ballymakeera with his wife.Grant, David. “James Leehane Shot by a Patrol from C Coy on 16 Oct 1920.” The Auxiliaries. Accessed January 24, 2026. https://theauxiliaries.com/companies/c-coy/1920-oct-16-lehane/james-lehane.html. The Auxiliaries from C Company intended to burn the town using petrol, but retreated when mistaking their own gunshots for the IRA. His murder, and the lack of punishment for the Auxiliaries angered the people of Cork. In the month leading up to the ambush, Two Auxiliaries were kidnapped and killed by the IRA near Macroom and several Black and Tans were killed in the towns of Glandore and Leap by the 3rd Cork Brigade.Crawls, Alexa. Third Cork Brigade, October 14, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121014035101/http://homepage.eircom.net/~corkcounty/Timeline/Third%20Brigade.htm. This paired with other incidents in Cork City and Waterfall by the 1st South Cork Brigade.Military Archives Staff. “Killing of 3 British Army Officers.” Military Archives. Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.militaryarchives.ie/en/online-collections/military-service-pensions-collection-1916-1923/brigade-activity-reports/operations/killing-of-3-british-army-officers.Military Archives Staff. “Capture and Killing of 2 Auxiliaries.” Military Archives. Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.militaryarchives.ie/en/online-collections/military-service-pensions-collection-1916-1923/brigade-activity-reports/operations/capture-and-killing-of-2-auxiliaries.
On October 31 of 1920, McCarthy, Barry, and Vice Officer Commanding Stephen O’Neill assembled a flying column to ambush a group of British Auxiliaries in response to British reprisals for the IRA Assassinations of British officials known as Bloody Sunday and the murder of James Lehane. Once the column was formed, Barry was appointed commander of the group.
During this time of preparation, McCarthy and five other members stayed in the house of Shelia O'Neill (also known as Julia Hurley), a member of Cumann na mBan.Military Archives Staff. “MSP34REF49981.” Military Service Pension Collection | Defence Forces Military Archives. Accessed January 24, 2026. http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/detail.aspx. It was there McCarthy prepared his men for the upcoming ambush and stayed there multiple nights. It is said that O’Neill personally gave McCarthy 100 rounds of ammunition shortly before the ambush.Military Archives Staff. “WMSP34REF49981SHELIAO’NEILL.Pdf.” Military Service Pension Collection | Defence Forces Military Archives. Accessed January 24, 2026. http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/docs/files//PDF_Pensions/R2/MSP34REF49981SHELIAO’NEILL/WMSP34REF49981SHELIAO’NEILL.pdf.
By November 21, the Flying Column had 36 volunteers and assembled in Clogher Townland, not to be confused with Clogher, Northern Ireland. It was there supplies were distributed and prepared. Each volunteer had an average of 35 rounds for their rifles.Grant, David. “Kilmichael Ambush - 28 Nov 1920.” The Auxiliaries. Accessed January 24, 2026. https://theauxiliaries.com/INCIDENTS/kilmichael-ambush/kilmichael.html.
McCarthy, Barry, and Sonny Dave Crowley scouted possible locations for the ambush on horseback. The two selected one on the Macroom–Dunmanway road, on the section between Kilmichael and Gleann, which the Auxiliaries coming out of Macroom used every day.
Afterwards, McCarthy, Barry, and other IRA members assembled in the house of Mary Kate Falvey, another member of Cumann na mBan.Military Archives Staff. “WMSP34REF52679MaryKateFalvey.Pdf.” Military Service Pension Collection | Defence Forces Military Archives. Accessed January 24, 2026. http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/docs/files//pdf_pensions/R4/MSP34REF52679MaryKateFalvey/WMSP34REF52679MaryKateFalvey.pdf. Her house was raided by Auxiliaries and arrested two IRA members by the names of Liam Deasy and James Jordan weeks before. There she gave members of the column more supplies. The column left her house the day before the ambush. 6 volunteers were late due to a mistake and had to meet the 30 volunteers at a different location. The 36 volunteers marched to the designated site of the ambush at midnight. At 1:00 AM, the column stopped to receive confession from Father O’Connell who came to meet the volunteers from a church from Enniskeane. They arrived there at around 8:30 AM after a 18 mile march in the rain, where they waited there for the Auxiliaries to arrive in the morning.
The volunteers were divided into five groups, which made up three sections. The first section (14 men including command post) was led by General Barry, who would stop and engage the first Lorry. The second section (10 men) led by McCarthy was put in the back of the operation to flank the Auxiliaries.Morrison, Eve. Kilmichael: The Life and Afterlife of an ambush. Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland: Irish Academic Press, 2022. The third section (5 or 6 men) was positioned in the middle to ensure that British forces don’t take up the other side of the road. Additionally a scouting team of 2 men were kept towards the front of the road which also acted as a rear guard. Other members of the column were spread along the road between the two positions.
McCarthy's section was spread out with McCarthy, Jack Hennessy, and John Lordan laying down behind small rocks, that provided limited cover. Above McCarthy, further above the hill, 6 volunteers waited in case there was a third lorry. Finally across the street, McCarthy sent Ned Young to prevent the auxiliaries from escaping off the road to a nearby farm.
The volunteers waited for hours in the cold muddy ditches without food and any additional supplies. Barry, McCarthy, and other members of the leadership contemplated calling the ambush off at this time.
Kilmichael Ambush It was between 4:05 and 4:20 pm when the Lorries were spotted. Just before the Auxiliaries in two lorries came into view, two armed IRA volunteers, responding late to Barry's mobilization order, drove unwittingly into the ambush position in a horse and side-car, almost shielding the British forces behind them. Barry managed to avert disaster by directing the car up a side road and out of the way, while McCarthy, who was talking to Barry at the time, rushed back to his position.
The two lorries were filled with Auxiliaries from C Company. The Auxiliaries were led by Captain District Inspector Francis William Crake. Crake was a veteran of World War I, just like many of the other Auxiliaries. He fought during the Hundred Days Offensive. He was awarded a medal for leading a charge against a German battery.Grant, David. “Dist/Insp Francis William Crake MC.” The Auxiliaries. Accessed January 24, 2026. https://theauxiliaries.com/men-alphabetical/men-c/crake/crake.html. Crake arrived in Cork in August 1920 and was given command of the Auxiliaries of C Company on October 3 of that year. The other officer in the lorries was Section commander William Thomas Barnes, who was promoted to section commander on the same day as Crake. Both officers were in the first lorry. The driver of the second lorry was Cecil James Guthrie. Guthrie was a young man who had only gotten married months before and was most likely the killer of James Lehane.Grant, David. “Cecil James Guthrie.” The Auxiliaries. Accessed January 24, 2026. https://www.theauxiliaries.com/men-alphabetical/men-g/gutherie/guthrie.html. He was formerly in the RAF and the youngest of all the Auxiliaries present at age 21.