The Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War

Divisions

1. The divisions between the Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty sides grew greater and often friends and families were divided.

2. The British began to withdraw from barracks and, as they did so, different groups of Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty IRA members competed to occupy them.

3. The Pro-Treaty IRA became know as the Free State Army or the Regulars.

4. The Anti-Treaty IRA were called the Republicans or the Irregulars.

The Slide to Civil War

1. A group of Republicans or Irregulars took over the Four Courts in the centre of Dublin – Collins was reluctant to take direct action against them.

2. The election showed a decent majority in favour of the Treaty and this strengthened the government’s policy.

3. After the murder of a British diplomat by the IRA in London and the kidnapping of a Free State Army general, Collins attacked the Irregulars in the Four Courts using artillery borrowed from Britain – they surrendered but fighting continued in Dublin and Munster.

The Munster Republic

1. The Republicans retreated south of an imaginary line from Limerick to Waterford, which became known as the Munster Republic.

2. Both Limerick and Waterford were easily captured by the Free State Army and the Irregulars were forced to withdraw to the countryside and revert to guerrilla warfare.

3. Collins showed great initiative as commander of the Free State Army – landing men by sea to surround towns and cities in Munster.

The deaths of Collins and Griffith

1. Two of the most important leaders of the Free State government died within a short time of each other.

2. Arthur Griffith died of a brain haemorrhage.

3. Michael Collins was killed in an ambush at Béal na mBláth, Co. Cork.

3. W.T. Cosgrave and Kevin O’Higgins became the new leaders of the Free State government.

The end of the Civil War

1. The Civil War dragged on and became increasingly bitter – Kevin O’Higgins had Rory O’Connor executed having been O’Connor’s best man at his wedding only a year previously.

2. Liam Lynch, leader of the Anti-Treaty IRA, was killed in the Knockmealdown Mountains in 1923 – the Anti-Treaty IRA were running out of men, due to the harsh Public Safety Act of 1923 which gave the Free State government the power to intern and execute Republicans, guns and public support.

3. Frank Aiken replaced Lynch and, together with de Valera, called a halt to the violence in 1923 – there was no truce or treaty, simply a dumping of arms.

The results of the Civil War

1. Death and destruction: Over 900 people were killed and damage to property was around €38m.

2. Bitterness: The Civil War caused great bitterness which poisoned Irish politics for generations to come.

3. Lost leaders: The country lost some its best and ablest leaders, such as Collins and Griffith, when it needed them most.

4. Political Parties: The two largest political parties in Ireland grew out of the Pro- and Anti-Treaty sides – Cumann na nGaedhael (later Fine Gael) came from the Free State side and Fianna Fáil from the Republican side.