Hotel bookings show early signs of a summer uplift
The 100th anniversary of a major attack on Collooney RIC barracks, in which a mine was used to blow in the front door, occurred recently. John Bromley pieces together the story from the accounts of some of the volunteers who took part
THE latest industry survey from the Irish Hotels Federation shows early signs that hotels are beginning to see an uplift in bookings for July and August.
This follows the Government’s recent announcement that it will look at the reopening of hotels and guesthouses in June. Booking levels nationally are averaging 23% for July and 21% for the key summer months of August but in the Border region (which comprises Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan) bookings are running at a higher level, with an average of 30% for July, 28% for August and 20% for September.
Michael Yates, chair of the Sligo-Leitrim-Roscommon branch of the Irish Hotels Federation, said the positive developments around the vaccine rollout coupled with the Taoiseach’s announcement around the reopening of hotels have allowed hotels in Sligo, Leitrim and across the country to start planning towards reopening. “However, as the latest IHF survey shows, there is still a long way to go before hotel occupancy reaches even last summer’s levels.”
He said that recovery will be a challenge for the hotel sector this year, “requiring continued Government support through to 2022, when the tourism industry should start to recover in earnest”.
Mr Yates, pictured right, who is general manager of the Diamond Coast Hotel in Enniscrone, said that staycations were a real positive last summer and they expected booking levels to continue to rise over the coming weeks.
“Not surprisingly, as indicated by our latest survey, we would expect to see stronger demand in coastal areas, popular tourism destinations and hotels offering packages and facilities for families. However, we would encourage people to explore all parts, as they did last year. There is excellent value available.”
He is encouraging people to plan their holidays and breaks early while there is plenty of choice and availability around. He also said that guests should contact hotels directly to find out what special offers are available and shop around.
But he said that while the extensive availability across the country may be good news for consumers, it highlighted the ongoing challenges facing the hotel sector.
“Tourism supported some 4,900 livelihoods in Sligo and Leitrim before Covid-19 restrictions, contributing €178 million to the local economy. Hotels are focussed on restoring employment levels as quickly as possible. While employment and business supports to date have been very welcome, it is essential that the Government now provides greater clarity and certainty now around supports into 2022 and beyond.
“Specifically, we are seeking increases in payments under the Covid Restrictions Supports Scheme (CRSS), enhanced employment subsidies, extension of the local authority rates waiver until the end of March next year.
“We also ask the Government to intervene with the banks to ensure they have appropriate supports and engagement processes in place for hotels and their team members until Covid-19 has been suppressed.”
Mr Yates said hotels also require a clear commitment from the Government to retain the 9% tourism VAT rate to assist recovery and secure a viable and sustainable future for the industry. “Wait and see is not a sustainable business strategy,” Mr Yates added. The IHF survey was carried out on April 6 to April 8 and the results of their survey are based on the response of 330 properties with 32,850 guest rooms spread across the country.
VIRTUAL SUPERSTAR
STARRING A HOST OF WELL-KNOWN SLIGO FACES REPRESENTING VARIOUS INDUSTRIES AND BUSINESSES, AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE, SINGING TO WIN
COLLOONEY RIC barracks, which still stands today on Barrack Road as a private house, was one of five major police stations in County Sligo during the War of Independence.
As attacks on the police increased from 1919 onwards, the RIC closed smaller barracks and concentrated their forces in fortified buildings in Sligo town, Ballymote, Tubbercurry, Easkey and Collooney.
The two-storey Collooney building was described as having steel shutters with loopholes (so those inside could fire out) on the windows and was surrounded by a barbed wire entanglement which had only one narrow passage leading to the door. This passage through the wire was very narrow and only admitted one person or persons in single file at the one time. The barracks was surrounded by a high wall on three sides and a low wall and fence in front.
The number of men stationed there varied in the accounts – 25 to 35 in one to 45 to 55 in another. But all agreed that given the lack of sleeping area, half the garrison slept at night and other half during the day.
The main objective of the raid would have been to overpower the garrison and take their arms and ammunition. According to one of those taking part in the raid, Harold McBrien from Drumduff, Ballintogher, who was O/C 8th Battalion, Sligo Brigade: “The whole bogey was arms and ammunition, explosives and so forth. It was very hard now to make any captures from the enemy and we were depending on headquarters to supply us, but there did not seem much hope of their doing so. The only material that we made locally was buckshot for loading into cartridges and this was not a great success either.”
The attack was led by William (also known as Billy and Liam) Pilkington, who was the officer in charge of the Sligo Brigade of the IRA.
He was born in 1894 in Abbey Street in Sligo town. He went on to become a well-known Republican activist and politician. He eventually ended up as a Redemptorist priest and and died in Liverpool on March 26, 1977. Pilkington Terrace in Sligo is named in his honour.
Interestingly, the attack he led on Collooney barracks was on March 26, 1921.
According to a statement made many years later to the Bureau of Military History by Thady McGowan from Culfadda, adjutant of the 3rd Battalion, around 30 men from Sligo brigade were mobilised for the attack. They gathered at Cloonamahon sanitorium and he said they proceeded to the vicinity of Collooney barracks without attracting the attention of the garrison inside.
He said the mine which was to be used to blast in the front door was made by A McCabe, MJ Marren and himself in Leonard’s old mill at Carrowcrory, Keash.
Thomas Deignan from Ardvarney, Riverstown, who was officer commanding 5th Battalion, Sligo Brigade, in his account said that those from his battalion included Michael Fallon, Michael Noone, Tom Conlon, his brother John and himself.
Harold McBrien from Drumduff, Ballintogher, O/C 8th Battalion, Sligo Brigade, said that apart from himself, Patrick Coleman – an ex-RIC man who had joined the IRA – Charlie Mulligan and John James Kelly from their battalion were part of the attacking party.
Thomas Deignan outlined the main trust of the strategy.
He said: “The plan was to place a large mine at the entrance door to the barrack and on this exploding and blowing the door in to rush the barracks.” He said that having detailed the various duties to the different parties, Pilkington called for volunteers to form the storming or rushing party and he, Michael Noone and Michael Fallon volunteered from their battalion. Harry (also called Henry) Breheny, from Bella, Collooney, undertook to carry the mine, place it at the door and set it off. He went on: “The remainder of the storming party, which numbered about nine all told, were from the Brigade area. The remainder of the attackers were to take up position on outpost duty on the roads leading into the town with one party armed with rifles on the Fair Green covering us and the front of the barracks. This latter party had instructions not to fire unless firing broke out from the barracks, their main job being to cover us.
“All parties moved into position and we were located along the outer side wall surrounding the barracks. This position gave us protection from splinters or debris that would be thrown up by the explosion of the mine.
“From here Harry Breheny in his stockinged feet carried the mine in a sack on his back and making his way through the passage in the barbed wire placed it on the doorstep against the door. He then took the cable leads back to our position and attached them to the exploder. We, the storming party, were armed with revolvers only.
“When the mine was exploded there was a terrific report and the door and the walls around it were blown in and we (the storming party, of which Pilkington himself took charge) could not move until the debris had fallen and the smoke cleared away.” Harold McBrien said that the storming party were armed with revolvers.
He said: “We were numbered off 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc, and were to enter the passage through the wire in that order. I was number six.
“The door was blown in and I understand the back door was blown out. We had to wait a few seconds until the debris had fallen and the dust and smoke partly cleared off.
“Pilkington then gave the order for us to advance, and we followed him in single file. I was sixth in the line and just got inside the outer entrance gate when I was brought to a halt against the back of the man in front of him.
“Someone said: ‘Get back’ and back we went for some distance. Pilkington now shouted ‘Come on’ and we moved forward again, but again we got jammed in the same way. Again
“I do not know if any of the RIC were killed or wounded. I don’t think any were. Our men got away safely and our only loss was some ammunition”
someone said: ‘Get back’ and back we moved again.
“Pilkington now shouted again, ‘Come on’ and we moved forward again. Now a shot was fired by someone inside the barracks and on this our covering party in the Fair Green opened up on the barracks and glass began to fly from the barrack windows.
“Firing from the barracks now started and we had to get away as fast as we could as we were now in danger from our own men as well as from the garrison fire. We pulled back to the crossroads on this, the eastern side of the town, where there were some trees behind which we took cover.
“Here everyone started to ask everyone else what the so and so happened. “Pilkington, after saying a few angry words to us, made off in the direction of Sligo.
“The firing from the barracks was now intense and some bullets ripped through the trees over our heads, and it was time for us to get out of there also.”
“Deignan and I and a man named Coleman made our way back to Riverstown, where we put up at the house of a friend. So ended the attack on Collooney
and it deserved a better fate. “I never found out the reason for the jamming in the passage through the barbed wire and I don’t think it was obstructed by the explosion as Pilkington, who was leading, gave no indication that it was.
“In fact, I believe that Pilkington actually entered the barracks and that it was he who fired the shot that started our men firing.
“I do not know if any of the RIC were killed or wounded. I don’t think there was. All our men succeeded in getting away safely and our only losses were some valuable ammunition.” However, in his account Thady
McGowan said: “The rushing party, led by Brigadier Pilkington, got into the front part of the barrack before any fire was opened by the police or tans inside, and found that the air at the entrance was completely saturated with dust, to such an extent that it was impossible to breathe in it or see through it.
“This was due to the effects of the explosion on the dry plaster on the inside walls of the barracks. The police then started to fire and Pilkington and his men were forced to retreat. The firing on both sides lasted about 15 minutes when the IRA decided to withdraw as any prospect of taking the barracks had then passed .”
In his account, Thomas Deignan said: “The garrison seemed to recover from the shock of the explosion quickly and in a matter of seconds opened up a terrific burst of rifle fire from the barracks which made any attempt at rushing it impossible.
“We opened fire on the barracks, but that had no effect and we had to retire.”
Another of those involved, Jim Hunt, O/C of the Gurteen battalion, said: “The storming party rushed the front of the barracks and when inside the porch they were brought to a halt by a cloud of dust from the walls of the barrack, caused by the explosion, which made it impossible to enter. “After the explosion there was a time lapse on the police side and, if conditions at the entrance to the barrack had been right, the overpowering of the garrison would probably have been an easy job.
“When the police pulled themselves together they started to send up verey lights (flares) and opened fire from the top windows. The IRA surrounding the barrack returned fire for some time. No roads were blocked for this operation, and about 15 minutes after the explosion, reinforcements of military and tans arrived, and we were forced to withdraw.”
Harold McBrien noted that that after the attack the barracks was repaired and “continued to be garrisoned up to the end of the fight and was never attacked again”.
“I have a distinct recollection, even to this day, that immediately after the explosion I heard a whistle blown inside the barracks and, if that is so, it showed a remarkable recovery from the shock of the explosion by at least one member of the garrison and, as events proved, they were on their toes very quickly.
“This finished big operations as far as this battalion was concerned, but small operations of a nuisance value continued right up to the Truce, such as road blocking and trenching and cutting telephone communications, raiding the mails, etc.
“The area began to get very hot now and raids on houses by enemy forces were quite a regular feature and several members of the battalion were arrested. They raided our house for me one night but I was not at home. They arrested my brother and, having stripped him naked, brought him to Dromahair. I was on the run from that on.”
It doesn’t appear as if there any injuries suffered by either side.
Thomas Deignan said: “There were no casualties on our side and I don’t know if the police had any either.” And he summed up his feelings about the attack: “If we had been supplied with bottles of petrol I think we could have burned the garrison out, as the place could have been easily set on fire. It was a pity that such a gallant effort should have ended up so fruitlessly.”
“If we’d had bottles of petrol I think we could have burned the garrison out. It was a pity such a gallant effort should have ended up so fruitlessly”