In October, the British home secretary informed the House of Commons that between January 1919 and October 1920, 64 Irish courthouses had been destroyed along with 492 abandoned RIC barracks, 21 occupied barracks and 148 private residences belonging to citizens loyal to the crown. A further 114 RIC barracks had been damaged; there had been 741 raids on the mail; 40 raids on coastguard stations and lighthouses; 117 policemen and 23 soldiers had been killed; 185 policemen and 71 soldiers had been wounded; 32 civilians had been killed and 83 wounded. The terrorising Black and Tans were introduced and major republican figures such as Tomás MacCurtain, Terence MacSwiney, Kevin Barry and Seán Treacy died. The first three deaths evoked public sympathy and, therefore, hardened nationalist resolve. The death of Treacy tangibly affected the conduct of the war in Tipperary and took some of the wind out of Dan Breen’s sails. Early in the year the moderate Dublin republican leadership, which had sought in 1919 to curtail rogue elements like the Third Tipperary Brigade, changed their attitude.
