The Irish Civil War

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The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 stated that the 26 southern counties would form a de facto independent free state within the British Empire. Parts of the Irish society rejected the treaty and wanted a republic. Another point of dispute was that six counties of Ulster remained within the United Kingdom. Against this background the relatively short but very cruel Irish Civil War took place.

Video

Overview

• Date: 28 Jun 1922 – 24 May 1923
• Location: Ireland
• Start: Battle of Dublin
• End: Aiken & de Valera order the IRA to lay down their weapons

Parties & Persons Involved

• Irish National Army
• Michael Collins (1890- 1922)
• Richard Mulcahy (1886 - 1971)
• Irish Republican Army
• Liam Lynch (1893 - 1923)
• Frank Aiken (1898 - 1983)
• Eamon de Valera (1882 - 1975)

Background

• Southern Ireland gains its independence after the Irish War of Independence (1919 – 1921) & the Anglo-Irish Treaty (06 Dec 1921):
  • Ireland is a Free State within the British Empire
  • The English Monarch remains head of state
  • Northern Ireland remains a part of the United Kingdom
  • The Royal Navy remains control of 3 strategically important ports
• 07 Jan 1922: The Dail Eireann ratifies the treaty by a small majority
• Republican reaction:
  • de Valera resigns as president & gives speeches which (indirectly) demand a civil war: “[The IRA] would have to wade through the blood of the soldiers of the Irish Government...“
  • IRA officers reject the right of the parliament to ratify the treaty
• 16 Jun 1922: The Pro-Treaty Sinn Fein (Collins) wins the election against the Anti-Treaty Sinn Fein (de Valera)
• Michael Collins establishes the Irish Free State & the National Army
• Distribution of power in June 1922:
  • Free State controls Dublin, cities & a small number of rural areas
  • IRA controls most of the rural areas

History

• 14 Apr 1922: IRA men occupy Four Courts in Dublin
• 16 Jun 1922: “Free State parties“ win the parliamentary election
• 22 Jun 1922: The British government plans an intervention in Ireland & pressures Michael Collins after Irishmen murder Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson
• 28 – 30 Jun 1922: The National Army shells the IRA in Four Courts with British guns which leads to the surrender of the occupants
• 01 – 05 Jul 1922: The Free State gains control over Dublin after bloody street battles

• Jul – Aug 1922: The Free State takes the cities Cork, Limerick & Waterford & gains control over Counties Mayo & Kerry
• 25 Jul – 05 Aug 1922: Free State wins the Battle of Kilmallock
• Aug – Sep 1922: Extensive guerrilla warfare of the IRA
• 22 Aug 1922: Michael Collins is killed during an ambush in County Cork
• Sep – Dec 1922: Anti-guerrilla successes of the National Army & supply problems lead to a decrease of IRA attacks
• Nov 1922 – May 1923: IRA assassinates representatives of the Free State & burns houses of politicians down
• Nov 1922 – Ma 1923: Free State executes imprisoned IRA members
• Jan – May 1923: Further Successes of the National Army & supply problems wear the IRA down
• 24 May 1923: The military commander Aiken & the political leader de Valera call on the IRA to lay down the weapons

Consequences & Impact

• Because the war focused on the southern part of Ireland Northern Ireland is consolidated as a part of the United Kingdom
• The Irish Civil War is a short but extremely brutal war with war crimes on both sides
• The 2 leading parties in Irish politics emerge from the Civil War
  • Pro-Free State - Fine Gael
  • Anti-Free-State - Fianna Fail
• The Civil War & the resulting parties determine the Irish political life at least for decades