Soloheadbeg Ambush

The Soloheadbeg Ambush was an ambush of a gelignite transport at Soloheadbeg, County Tipperary, Ireland, on 21 January 1919 in which two policemen were killed. It is considered to be the first engagement of the Irish War of Independence.
Background
In the Irish general election of December 1918, Sinn Féin won a landslide victory, gaining 73 out of 105 seats (25 of these unopposed) in the British Parliament. However, in its election manifesto the party had vowed to set up a separate government in Ireland rather than sit in the British Parliament. At a meeting in Dublin on 21 January 1919, Sinn Féin established an independent parliament called Dáil Éireann and declared independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
On that same day, an ambush was carried out by Irish Volunteers Seán Treacy, Dan Breen, Seán Hogan, Séamus Robinson, Tadhg Crowe, Paddy McCormack, Paddy O'Dwyer, Michael Ryan and Seán O'Meara (the latter two being cycle...