A cycle column of British soldiers were heading to Dungarvan and the flying column laid a hasty ambush at Ballyvoile above the railway line, parallel to the coast road the soldiers were taking. One of the soldiers saw one of the scouts and the subsequent exchange of fire revealed the position of the ambush party. The IRA fighters’ shotguns were not effective long-range weapons unlike the British soldiers’. 23 year old volunteer, John (Jack) Cummins was shot dead. A white iron cross, made by his fellow IRA fighter Tommy Hallahan, marks the spot on what is now the Waterford Greenway, where he was shot.
Source: C. Flaherty, ‘Stradbally’ in The Towns and Villages of the Waterford Greenway (2018), pp. 80-111.
