henrystreet

National Army armoured car at Henry Street
near Nelson’s Pillar during the Battle of Dublin
in late June/early July 1922.
Attached to the car is an effigy of anti-Treaty IRA leader
Rory O’Connor, reading derisively ‘Rory Boy’. The British
army gave thirteen of these rolls royce armoured cars to
the Provisional Government in early 1922. Impervious
to small-arms fire, they carried a Vickers machine gun
in a rotating turret. Soldiers named them after songs,
patriotic heroes or separatist victories. In the case of this
armoured car, the name ‘Customs House’ celebrates the
burning of that structure by the IRA’s Dublin Brigade in
May 1921, an operation many National Army officers
had participated in.

theirishrevolution.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/U8.-TY-U...

The ARR known as the The Customs House, named due to the IRA attack on the building during the War of Independence. The figure on top has a noose around its neck and bears a placard entitled “Rory Boy” after Rory O’Connor, an Irregular leader captured during the first few weeks fighting

Certainly, the Irregulars had nothing to match them. Crewed by three soldiers, with a top speed of 45mph and armed with a .303 Vickers machine gun on a rotating turret, the ARR’s played a vital part in the opening stages of the war, whether it was supporting infantry, providing generals with mobile-command centres, or spearheading frontal assaults.

These ARR’s included such notable examples as The Customs House (pictured above), from which General Seamus Hogan led the Dublin Guards on their assault on the village of Bruree during the Battle of Killmallock, or the Ex-Mutineer, captured from the Irregulars during the first week of fighting and which subsequently spearheaded the seaborne landings on the Irregular stronghold of Kerry.

www.quora.com/How-were-armored-cars-used-during-the-Irish...

The internet's full of this stuff - looks like it's a famous enough photo.

Seems to have been replaced with an Opel now: www.google.ie/maps/@53.3497326,-6.2607722,2a,75y,76.57h,9...

Patrick J. "Specky" Griffin on the right, according to www.customhousecommemoration.com/2018/03/18/who-was-speck...

The freeway in the background is now Interstate 880. The route designation may have been State Route 17 in 1973.

The utilitiy in this area, Pacific Gas and Electric Co.., had to raise the pole at right of frame so high voltage lines would clear the tracks. That's a long pole.

Thanks for the picture. I was under the impression it was destroyed to the ground as a result of the blast. Here I can see that the pillar remained (without Nelson though). When did they knock it down altogether? Was it a matter of days or years?

eyair It was knocked within weeks when the military carried out a "controlled" explosion on the base. It caused much grief for the army as there was more damage done to local glass and business than in the original "uncontrolled" explosion. In reality the task of blowing up the base was much greater than that of the pillar, all they needed to do was damage the tube of the pillar and gravity would do the rest.

Crazy ... why didn't they just repair it.... great archival photo!!!

Angela Orlando Think 1966 the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising and the optics of re-erecting a symbol of British Imperialism. Also a sneaking good will towards those who had done the deed by many of those in power. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, see what the "lads" have done haha!!!

awesome