During the Anglo-Irish war it was decided to call on all the R.I.C to resign. Some of them did, but a great many of them held on to the English pay and the only way to stop them was to attack the barracks.
The boys of the district under commandants Galvin and O'Leary attacked the Rathmore Barracks. They took positions along the railway wagons, and were all fixed in their places when one of their guns exploded, and wakened up all of the men in the barracks. Of course as the men in the barracks were better equipped, and had the advantage of a better position, there was nothing left for the attackers