| Christmas Raid |
|---|
| Part of Sabotage Campaign (IRA) / The Emergency (Ireland) |
| Date | 23 December 1939 |
|---|
| Location | Phoenix Park, Dublin — Magazine Fort |
|---|
| Result |
Munitions dump captured; large haul of arms & ammunition stolen (later mostly recovered) |
|---|
|
| Belligerents |
|---|
|
Irish Republican Army (IRA) |
Irish Army / Garrison at Magazine Fort |
| Commanders and leaders |
|---|
|
(order given by) Stephen Hayes (acting Chief of Staff) |
Officer in charge of guard (name reportedly long-serving; unnamed) + duty guard & fire picket |
| Strength |
|---|
- Not precisely documented* — IRA raiding party (multiple lorries used; unspecified number)
|
1 NCO + 6 riflemen + 1 Lewis gunner + 1 MP guarding gate; plus fire picket: 1 NCO + 4 men |
| Casualties and losses |
|---|
|
none during raid (some IRA volunteers captured later) |
no casualties at fort during raid; guards disarmed and captured, not killed. |
|
Approx. 1,084,000 rounds of ammunition taken in thirteen lorries. |
The Christmas Raid was an attack on 23 December 1939 by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) against the Irish Army and the Phoenix Park Magazine Fort—Ireland's largest munitions dump. The attack resulted in the capture of the munitions dump by the IRA and the seizure of a huge quantity of weapons. Although the operation was initially successful, two of the raiders were captured shortly after the raid and, in the following days, most of the stolen military equipment was recovered and several IRA volunteers were arrested.