The seagulls at the Four Courts, Dublin, Ireland, have always had a tendency to swoop on its human inhabitants (see video above), but the fighting there during the Civil War of 1922 provoked the gulls to screaming, window-thumping heights reminiscent of Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’. The movie was based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier, an avid newspaper reader in the early 1920s, and perhaps inspired by the below account from the Scotsman of 22 July 1922:
“THE DUBLIN SEAGULLS
Visitors to Dublin are familiar with the large flock of seagulls which frequent the Liffey, and their graceful flights are always a source of attraction. But perhaps it would be more accurate to write of them in the past tense as far as Dublin is concerned, for one of the consequences of the fighting in the Four Courts and in Sackville Street has been their disappearance.
When the shooting began the birds were greatly perturbed. Clouds of them rose in the air, and screamed as if in resentment. The artillery firing appeared to make them still more angry. They were obviously much concerned, as was natural, but the predominant note appeared to be rage father than fear.
As time passed they evidently became hungry. They were accustomed to have pieces of bread and various other scraps thrown to them from the quays, but the people had other things to think about, and the gulls were neglected. Protesting against this neglect, they flew past the windows of houses facing the quays, making insistent cries for food. This went on for days, the screaming of the gulls being added to the noise of the fire. Even during the night it was heard.
When, however, the blowing up of the Four Courts occurred, and clouds of smoke, dust and debris rose in the air, the birds seemed to become thoroughly frightened at last, and, with terrified screams, the greater part took their flight seawards. When the guns began to play in Sackville Street the remainder followed their companions. A.I.R.”
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