# The Kidnapping of Gilbert Potter: A District Inspector's Fatal Sense of Duty

An episode of [The Póilíní Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/6809845024), 24 Sep 2026, 31 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6a82c4496e5b5bfda6633d7e/e/6ab3dccb864264ef3e3f2081/media.mp3

In April 1921, at the height of the War of Independence, RIC District Inspector Gilbert Potter was seized by the IRA after stumbling into the tail end of an ambush near Clogheen, Tipperary. Marched over the Knockmealdowns into Waterford and held for days by men he had known since they were boys, Potter was faced with a decision that would have profound consequences for him and his family. Drawing on IRA witness statements from the Bureau of Military History, Potter's own letters to his wife Lily, and John's decades of police experience, this episode explores duty, decency, loyalty and the terrible cost paid on all sides during Ireland's revolutionary years. Presenters - Dr John Reynolds, Helen Moorhouse Producer - Daryl Moorhouse Sound Record and Mix - Sean Byrne Recorded at Tinpot Productions Studios Find out more or get in touch here Póilíní, commonly misspelled as 'polini' or 'paolini' or even 'poleini', is the Irish word for 'police'. The Póilíní Podcast covers stories from over 200 years of Irish policing history, from the Royal Irish Constabulary, to the Dublin Metropolitan Police, to An Garda Síochána. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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