After the Bloody Sunday assassination of a dozen British officers ( 21 November 1920 ) Wilson urged martial law on Churchill " for the hundredth time " . After the killing of 17 Auxiliaries in an ambush at Kilmichael , near Macroom , County Cork , martial law was declared ( 10 December 1920 – Wilson called Churchill and Hamar Greenwood " amazing liars " in his diary for saying they had always been in favour of it ) in the four Munster Counties of Cork , Tipperary , Kerry and Limerick – Wilson would have preferred all of Ireland apart from Ulster . On 23 December Irish Home Rule became law . Wilson attended a special conference ( 29 December ) along with Macready , Tudor and John Anderson ( Head of the Civil Service in Dublin ) at which they all advised that no truce should be allowed for elections to the planned Dublin Parliament , and that at least four months ( Wilson thought six ) months of martial law would be required to restore order – the date for the elections was therefore set for May 1921 . In accordance with Wilson and Macready 's wishes martial law was extended over the rest of Munster ( Counties Waterford and Clare ) and part of Leinster ( Counties Kilkenny and Wexford )
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1920)
Sir Henry Wilson, 1st Baronet