THE annual Kilmichael ambush commemoration will be held on Sunday November 30th at 1.30pm at the monument. 

The decisive Kilmichael engagement between the West Cork IRA flying column and British forces occurred on November 28th,1920. 

It was a seminal event in the War for Independence in that it was the first time that this so-called elite force called the Auxiliaries, who had been roaming the country side for several months terrorizing the local population, were challenged anywhere in Ireland as they were at Kilmichael.

The flying column went on to become one of the most successful and active flying columns in Ireland and went on later to defeat British forces at Crossbarry in March in what was the biggest land battle during the War for Independence. 

Kilmichael and Crossbarry played no small part in bringing the British to the negotiation table a few months later in 1921.

The guest speaker this year will be Jarlath Burns (Iarlaith Ó Broin) president of the GAA / Uachtarán CLG. Jarlath hails from Silverbridge, South Armagh.

He played Gaelic football for County Armagh for many years.

He has been active at all levels of administration in the GAA since his playing days and became the 41st president of the GAA in February 2024.

That same year he presented the Sam Maguire cup to the victorious All-Ireland Armagh team.

He has been a progressive uachtarán with the introduction of new rules to Gaelic football making the game more attractive for spectators.

A number of the those who were involved in the Kilmichael engagement are remembered by the GAA including Flyer Nyhan who has a hurling competition named after him called the John Flyer Nyhan cup and the Diarmuid Ó Mathunas, Castletown Kenneigh GAA Club. 

Diarmuid was accidentally killed a few months after Kilmichael.

At Castletown Kenneigh earlier on the same day there will be an Aifreann Gaeilge at 10am and this will be followed by a ceremony at the adjacent graveyard where the three volunteers Mícheál MacCharthaigh, Seamas Ó Suilleabháin and Padraig Ó Déisigh who fell at Kilmichael are laid to rest agus Diarmuid Ó Mathúna freisin a fuair bás cúpla mhí ina dhiaidh Luíocháin Chill Mhichíl.

Following the main commemoration there will be a dinnear & tráthnóna cheoil in Creedon’s Hotel in Inchigeela at 3.30pm.

Tá fáilte roimh gach éinne.