100 years ago today, the RIC fired into crowds leaving Mass in Tralee in a reprisal, and over the next week laid siege to the town, stopped food entering, shot people in the streets, and burned businesses. International press reported the town as being on the brink of starvation.

The Siege of Tralee followed the burning of a creamery in Listowel about a week before, and another in Ballyduff, destroying hundreds of livelihoods. A propaganda newsreel of the "Battle Of Tralee", staged in Dalkey, was also released, with RIC men dressed as IRA volunteers.

It's easy to forget how recent the war of independence was. I know a woman here in Kerry who was a few years old when the Siege Of Tralee happened, and is still very much alive today. These events are in living memory.