text: War of Independence (1920–1921) Events that would lead up to the "Burning of Clifden" began on 21 November 1920, Bloody Sunday. On that day, an IRA unit known as The Squad shot a number of British officers and civilians believed to work for military intelligence unit known as the Cairo Gang, killing eleven and wounding four. Later that day, British paramilitaries from the Auxiliary Division opened fire during what was intended to be a routine search for IRA suspects during a Gaelic football match at Croke Park, killing twelve and injuring sixty. Thomas Whelan, born in 1899 in Clifden, was arrested and charged with the Bloody Sunday assassination of British military prosecutor Captain G.T. Bagelly. Although Whelan recognised the court, pled not guilty, introduced witnesses attesting to his presence elsewhere, and maintained that he was not involved in the assassination, he was found guilty and hanged on 14 March 1921. Following its two for one policy that required the killing of two members of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) for every Republican executed, the West Connemara flying column of the IRA fatally shot RIC Constables Charles Reynolds and Thomas Sweeney at Eddie King's Corner on 16 March 1921. In response to the RIC's request for assistance through the Marconi wireless station, a trainload of Black and Tans arrived via the Galway to Clifden railway in the early hours of St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1921, and proceeded to "burn, plunder and murder". They killed one civilian, seriously injured another, burned 14 houses, and damaged several others.