The Crossbarry Ambush occurred on 19 March 1921 and was one of the largest engagements of the Irish War of Independence. It took place at the rural crossroads of Crossbarry in County Cork, about 20 km south-west of Cork city. About a hundred Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteers escaped an attempt by more than 1,300 British troops to encircle them. During the hour-long battle, between 10 and 40 British troops and three to six IRA volunteers were killed. The ambush is one of the few rare large battles during the war where the British forces, rather than the IRA, initiated the engagement.