British army fire did not spark Civil War

Ryle Dwyer says BBC4 should ask about the kidnapping and killing of Free State officers in Donegal

On Monday, the BBC 4 Document series highlighted a manuscript that suggests that the British may have been more involved in the outbreak of the Civil War in 1922 than is usually admitted. Lance Bombardier Percy Creek of the Royal Artillery left a short memoir in which he admits to having fired on the Four Courts.

His unit was moved from Fermanagh to Dublin on the eve of the Civil War. “We reached the outskirts of the city,” he wrote. “I don’t think anybody had a very clear idea of what was happening. I heard a little rifle fire.