Destruction of Irish country houses (1919–1923) April 1921, north Cork IRA leader, Liam Lynch, enraged by the destruction of several houses in reprisal for an IRA ambush declared, 'six big houses and castles of their friends, the Imperialists will go up for this.'" At least 76 country mansions were destroyed in the War of Independence; 30 "Big Houses" were burned in 1920 and another 46 in the first half of 1921, mostly in the conflict's Munster heartland, i.e. counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Clare and Limerick. Historian James S. Donnelly stated in a study of the burning of over 50 country mansions in County Cork in 1919–21
Cork–Limerick–Galway corridor Cork–Limerick–Galway corridor The Cork–Limerick–Galway corridor links the Republic of Ireland's cities of Cork, Limerick and Galway. Respectively, the cities are the Republic of Ireland's second, third and fourth largest urban centres. There are two international airports in the region: Cork Airport and Shannon Airport. Both airports provide connections to the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. As well as providing pre-clearance facilities, as of September 2016, Shannon Airport also is the first and only airport outside the US to offer US Customs and Border Protection to private aircraft. An airport, Galway Airport, is also in Galway. However, the airport