The term Christmas Raid is a name used within the folklore of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to describe a raid in the Republic of Ireland against the Irish Army, and the theft of a huge quantity of weapons and munitions from an Irish Army ammunition Magazine Fort storage depot in Dublin's Phoenix Park.
The raid took place on 23 December 1939, and was immediately prior to the passing of the Emergency Powers Act in Ireland. Although the operation initially went well, two of the raiders were captured shortly after the raid, and in the following days, most of the stolen military equipment was recovered, and several IRA volunteers were arrested.
Read more about Christmas Raid: The Fort, Reasons For Raid, The Raid, Recapture of The Ammunition, Aftermath of Raid
Famous quotes containing the words christmas and/or raid:
“The eighth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,”
—Unknown. The Twelve Days of Christmas (l. 43–45)
“Each venture
Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate
With shabby equipment always deteriorating
In the general mess of imprecision of feeling.”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)