To the Irish there were two Black and Tans. There were men who joined the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) as Temporary Constables during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) when some Irish wanted Ireland to secede from the UK, and there were the Auxiliary Division, which was a counter-insurgency unit of the RIC made up of former British officers. The Irish saw both of these groups as the Black and Tans. In reality, though, only the former were real Black and Tans.
Here's a 1921 photo of a group of the real Black and Tans in Dublin at a time when what is now the Republic of Ireland was still part of the UK (it seceded from the Union the year after).
The now Republic of Ireland seceding from the UK in 1922 when, at one point, most Irish were against doing so, was one of the great tragedies of the 20th Century.
Edited by Sixteen String Jack - 16-Apr-2013 at 13:42