The Swanzy Riots, 1920 – Online Exhibition

‘The Swanzy Riots, 1920’ details events in Lisburn following the assassination of R.I.C. District Inspector Oswald Ross Swanzy in Market Square. The murder, by members of the Cork and Belfast I.R.A., led to two nights and three days of vicious rioting, looting and burning, largely aimed at the town’s Catholic community. Using photographs, artefacts, videos, books and uniforms, this exhibition told the story of a significant - but not well known - event in Lisburn’s rich history, and its part in the wider story of the War of Independence (1919-1922).