Irish War of Independence
An Irish War of Independence memorial in Phibsboro, Dublin
Date January 21, 1919 - July 11, 1921 (though violence continues until July 1922) Location Ireland Result The Anglo-Irish Treaty and the end of British rule in 26 counties (about five-sixths) of Ireland. Casus belli Irish Independence
Combatants
Irish Republic	United Kingdom
Commanders
Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders	Henry Hugh Tudor
Strength
Irish Republican Army c.15,000	British Army c.20,000, Royal Irish Constabulary 9,700, Black and Tans 7,000, Auxiliaries 1,400
Casualties
550 IRA,[1]	363 RIC, 261 British Army,[2]
c.750 Civilians[3]

The Irish War of Independence also known as the Tan War or the Anglo-Irish War^[4]) was a guerrilla campaign mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) under the proclaimed legitimacy of the First Dáil, the Irish parliament created in 1918 by a majority of Irish MPs. It lasted from January 1919 until the truce in July 1921. memorial to Irish War of Independence. ... Phibsborough, (Baile Phib, Phibsboro), is a neighborhood of Dublin, Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic which concluded the Irish War of Independence. ... Casus belli is a modern Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... General Michael John (Mick) Collins (Irish: ; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance in the Irish Republic, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations, both as Chairman of the Provisional Government and... Richard Mulcahy General Richard James Mulcahy (10 May 1886 – 16 December 1971) was an Irish politician, leader of Fine Gael and Cabinet Minister. ... Cathal Brugha Cathal Brugha (born Charles William St. ... Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Tudor Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Tudor, KCB, CMG, (1871-1965) was a British soldier who fought as a junior officer in the Second Boer War (1899-1902), and as a senior officer in the First World War (1914-18), but is now remembered chiefly... The Seán Hogan Flying column during the War of Independence. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was one of Irelands two police forces in the early twentieth century, alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Police. ... This article deals with the RIC Reserve Force of the Anglo-Irish War. ... The term auxiliaries comes from the latin auxilia (help). ... Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right)1 Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Capital London Language(s) English Gaelic Welsh (Wales) Scottish Gaelic (parts of Scotland) Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1801–1820 George III  - 1920–1922... The Seán Hogan Flying column during the War of Independence. ... The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ...

The IRA that fought in this conflict is often referred to as the Old IRA to distinguish it from later organisations that used the same name.

Origins

The Easter Proclamation

Since the 1880s, Irish nationalists in the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) had been demanding Home Rule, or self-government, from Britain. Fringe organisations, such as Arthur Griffith's Sinn Féin instead argued for some form of Irish independence, but they were in a small minority at this time. The Easter Proclamation of 1916. ... The Easter Proclamation of 1916. ... The Easter Proclamation, officially referred to as the Proclamation of the Republic, was a document issued by the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army during the Easter Rising in Ireland, which began on 24 April 1916. ... An Irish nationalist is generally one who seeks (greater) independence of Ireland from Great Britain, including since 1921 the goal of a United Ireland. ... The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) (commonly called the Irish Party) was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament (MPs) elected to the House of Commons at Westminster within the... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish) is a name used by a series of Irish political movements of the 20th century, each of which claimed sole descent from the original party established by Arthur Griffith in 1905. ...

The demand for Home Rule was eventually granted by the British in 1912, immediately prompting a prolonged crisis within the United Kingdom as Ulster Unionists formed an armed organisation - the Ulster Volunteers - to resist this measure of devolution. In turn, taking their cue from the Unionists, Nationalists formed their own military organisation, the Irish Volunteers. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP) is a political party in Northern Ireland representing the unionist community, and was the party of government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is a Northern Ireland loyalist paramilitary group. ... Devolution or home rule is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a state to government at national, regional or local level. ... Irish Volunteers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

The British Parliament passed the Third Home Rule Act with an amending Bill for the partition of Ireland introduced by Ulster Unionists, but the Act's enactment was postponed by the outbreak of the First World War in August of 1914. The majority of Nationalists followed their IPP leaders and John Redmond's call to support Britain and the Allied war effort the intention being to ensure the enactment of Home Rule after the war. But a significant minority of the Irish Volunteers, opposed the war. The Volunteer movement split, a majority forming the National Volunteers under Redmond, the minority faction, led by the Irish Irelanders began active preparation for a revolt against British rule, driven by both the old Nationalist adage that England's difficulty is Ireland's opportunity and by a desire to derail the compromise of Home Rule by making a blood sacrifice that would show that the demand for complete separation still stood. The Third Home Rule Act, more correctly known as the Home Rule Act, 1914 was an Act of the parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which allowed for the creation of a separate home rule parliament in Ireland. ... The Partition of Ireland took place in May 1921. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna... John Redmond, MP John Edward Redmond (September 1, 1856 – March 6, 1918) was the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918. ... Map of the World showing the participants in World War I. Those fighting on the Allies side (at one point or another) are depicted in green, the Central Powers in orange, and neutral countries in gray. ... The National Volunteers is the name taken by the group of the Irish Volunteers that sided with Irish Parliamentary Party leader John Redmond after the group split in the wake of the question of the Volunteers role in World War I. While Redmond took no role in the creation of...

The plan for revolt was realised in the Easter Rising of 1916, in which the Volunteers, now explicitly declaring a republic, launched an insurrection whose aim was to end British rule and to found an Irish Republic. The rising was almost exclusively confined to Dublin and was put down within a week, but the British response — executing the leaders of the insurrection and arresting thousands of nationalist activists — galvanised support for the separatist Sinn Féin - the party which the republicans first adopted and then took over. By now support for the war effort was on the wane, and Irish public opinion was shocked and outraged by some of the atrocities committed by British troops - particularly the murder of Francis Sheehy-Skeffington and the imposition of wartime martial law. Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      For other uses, see Republic (disambiguation). ... Insurrection could refer to: * in a general sense, it means Rebellion * it is also a title of a Star Trek film, see Star Trek: Insurrection ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Francis Skeffington (1878 – 26 April 1916) from Bailieborough, County Cavan, was an Irish suffragist and pacifist. ...

Secondly, the British, in the face of the crisis caused by the German Spring Offensive in April 1918, attempted to introduce conscription into Ireland, further alienating the Irish electorate. This issue alone brought the country to mass demonstrations during the Conscription Crisis of 1918. By the time of the November 1918 election alienation from British rule was widespread and Irish voters showed their disapproval with British policy by giving Sinn Féin 70% of Irish seats in the Irish (UK) general election, 1918. Sinn Féin promised not to sit in Westminster, the seat of the UK Parliament, but rather to set up an Irish Parliament. The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during the First World War, which marked the deepest advance by either side since 1914. ... The Conscription Crisis of 1918 stemmed from a move by the Government of the United Kingdom to impose conscription in Ireland, and contributed to pivotal events in early 20th century politics in Ireland, galvanising popular support for parties favouring separation from the United Kingdom. ... The Irish general election of 1918 was that part of the 1918 United Kingdom general election that took place in Ireland. ... Westminster is a district within the City of Westminster in London. ... The Houses of Parliament, seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ...

To purist Irish Republicans, the Irish War of Independence had begun with the Proclamation of the Irish Republic during the Easter Rising of 1916.^[5] Republicans argued that the conflict of 1919-21 (and indeed the subsequent Irish Civil War) was the defence of this Republic against attempts to destroy it. Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ...

More directly, the war had its origins in the formation of an unilaterally declared independent Irish parliament, called Dáil Éireann, formed by the majority Sinn Féin Members of Parliament (MPs) elected in Irish constituencies in the Irish (UK) general election, 1918. This parliament, known as the First Dáil, and its ministry, called the Aireacht, declared Irish independence by reaffirming the 1916 declaration. The Irish Volunteers were reconstituted as the 'Irish Republican Army' or IRA. The IRA was perceived by some members of Dáil Éireann to have a mandate to wage war on the Dublin Castle British administration. While it was not clear in the beginning of 1919 that the Dáil intended to gain independence by military means, an incident in January 1919 sparked off armed conflict. Several IRA members acting independently in Soloheadbeg, in County Tipperary, attacked and shot two Royal Irish Constabulary officers for refusing to surrender to the IRA. A declaration of independence is a proclamation of the independence of a newly formed or reformed independent state from a part or the whole of the territory of another, or a document containing such a declaration. ... Irish stamp comemorating the first meeting of Dáil Éireann in 1919. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... The Irish general election of 1918 was that part of the 1918 United Kingdom general election that took place in Ireland. ... The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. ... The ireacht was the name of the cabinet or ministry in the D il Constitution passed by the First D il of the Irish Republic in January 1919. ... The Seán Hogan Flying column during the War of Independence. ... Dublin Castle. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... Soloheadbeg is a small townland, some two miles outside Tipperary Town, near Limerick Junction. ...

This is widely regarded as the beginning of the War of Independence, although the men acted on their own initiative. Martial law was declared in South Tipperary three days later. On the same day as the shootings at Soloheadbeg, the First Dáil convened in the Mansion House in Dublin where it ratified the 1916 Proclamation of Independence, issued a new Declaration of Independence, demanded the evacuation of the British military garrison, and called on the "free nations of the world" to recognise Ireland's independence. The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. ... Mansion House is the name applied to the official residences of the Lords Mayor of Dublin and London. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... The Easter Proclamation, officially referred to as the Proclamation of the Republic, was a document issued by the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army during the Easter Rising in Ireland, which began on 24 April 1916. ... The Declaration of Independence was a document adopted by Dáil Éireann, the revolutionary parliament of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic, at its first meeting in the Mansion House, Dublin, on 21st January, 1919. ... The armed forces of the United Kingdom are known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, officially the Armed Forces of the Crown. ...

Violence spreads

See also Chronology of the Irish War of Independence. This page aims to give a chronology of actions in the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921. ...

Volunteers began to attack British government property, carried out raids for arms and funds and targeted and killed prominent members of the British administration. The first was Resident Magistrate John Milling, who was shot dead in Westport, County Mayo, for having sent Volunteers to prison for unlawful assembly and drilling. They mimicked the successful tactics of the Boers, fast violent raids without uniform. Although some republican leaders, notably Éamon de Valera, favoured classic conventional warfare in order to legitimise the new republic in the eyes of the world, the more practically experienced Michael Collins and the broader IRA leadership opposed these tactics that had led to the military débacle of 1916. Others, notably Arthur Griffith, preferred a campaign of civil disobedience rather than armed struggle. The violence used was at first deeply unpopular with the broader Irish population, but most were won around when faced with the heavy handed British response. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Afrikaners are white South Africans of predominantly Calvinist Dutch, German, French Huguenot, Friesian and Walloon descent who speak Afrikaans. ... Éamon de Valera (born with the name Edward George de Valera,IPA: [1][2]) (14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was one of the dominant political figures in 20th century Ireland. ... General Michael John (Mick) Collins (Irish: ; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance in the Irish Republic, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations, both as Chairman of the Provisional Government and... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An anti-war activist is arrested for civil disobedience on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States on February 9, 2005. ...

The early part of the conflict, roughly from 1919 to the summer of 1920, saw a relatively limited amount of violence. Much of the nationalist campaign involved popular mobilisation and the creation of a republican "state within a state" in opposition to British rule. The IRA's main target throughout the conflict was the mainly Catholic Irish police force, the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), which they saw as the British government's eyes and ears in Ireland. Its members and barracks (especially the more isolated ones) were vulnerable, and they were a source of much-needed arms. The RIC numbered 9,700 men stationed in 1,500 barracks throughout Ireland. The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was one of Irelands two police forces in the early twentieth century, alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Police. ...

A policy of ostracism of RIC men was announced by the Dáil in April 1919. This proved successful in demoralising the force as the war went on, as people turned their faces from a force increasingly compromised by association with government repression. The rate of resignation went up, and recruitment dropped off dramatically. Often the RIC were reduced to buying food at gunpoint as shops and other businesses refused to deal with them. Some RIC men cooperated with the IRA through fear or sympathy, supplying the organisation with valuable information. By contrast with the effectiveness of the widespread public boycott of the Police, the military actions carried out by the IRA against the RIC at this time were relatively limited. In 1919, 11 RIC men and 4 Dublin Metropolitan Police were killed and another 20 RIC wounded.^[6] Ostracism (Greek ostrakismos) was a procedure under the Athenian democracy in which a prominent citizen could be expelled from the city-state of Athens for ten years. ... The Dublin Metropolitan Police was formed in 1836, after twenty years of attempts to create an effective policing force in Ireland Rural policing in Ireland began when Chief Secretary for Ireland, Robert Peel created the Peace Preservation Force in 1816. ...

Other aspects of mass participation in the conflict included strikes by organised workers in opposition to the British presence in Ireland. In Limerick in April 1919, a General strike was called by the Limerick Trades and Labour Council, as a protest against the declaration of a "Special Military Area" under the Defence of the Realm Act which covered most of Limerick city and a part of the county. Special permits, to be issued by the Royal Irish Constabulary, would now be required to enter the city. The Trades Council's special Strike Committee controlled the city for four days. A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ... The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) was passed in the United Kingdom in August 1914, during the early weeks of World War I. It gave the government wide-ranging powers during the war period, such as censorship and the power to requisition buildings or land needed for the war...

Similarly, in early 1920, Dublin dockers refused to handle any war matériel, and were soon joined by the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, despite hundreds of sackings. Train drivers were brought over from England after Irish drivers refused to carry British troops. The Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU) was established by Jim Larkin in December 1908, after his expulsion from the British National Dock Labourers Union (NDLU). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

Violent attacks by the IRA also steadily increased however. By the spring of 1920, they were attacking isolated RIC stations in rural areas, causing them to be abandoned as the Police retreated to the larger towns.

Collapse of the British administration

In early April, 400 abandoned RIC barracks were burned to the ground to prevent them being used again, along with almost one hundred income tax offices. This had two effects. Firstly the RIC withdrew from much of the countryside, leaving it in the hands of IRA. In June-July 1920, summer assizes failed all across the South and West of Ireland. Trials by jury could not be held because jurors would not attend. The Chief Secretary for Ireland, Hamar Greenwood informed the Coalition Cabinet that "the administrative machinery of the courts has been brought to a standstill". The collapse of the court system demoralized the Royal Irish Constabulary. Many police resigned and retired over the summer. The Irish Republican Police (IRP) was founded between April and June 1920 under the authority of Dáil Éireann and the IRA Chief of Staff and Cathal Brugha to replace the RIC and to enforce the ruling of the Dáil Courts, set up under the Irish Republic. By 1920, the IRP had a presence in 21 of Ireland’s 32 counties. The Courts of Assize, or Assizes, were periodic criminal courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Quarter Sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. ... The Chief Secretary was the most important position for determining British policy in Ireland after the Lord Lieutenant, and was frequently a cabinet level position in the 19th and early twentieth centuries. ... The Right Honourable Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood (1870-1948) was a British politician. ... The Irish Republican Police (IRP) was the police force of the Irish Republic. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Irish stamp comemorating the first meeting of Dáil Éireann in 1919. ... Cathal Brugha Cathal Brugha (born Charles William St. ... The Dáil Courts were established in June 1920 by Dáil Éireann as part of its policy of undermining British authority in Ireland during the Anglo-Irish War. ... For much of its history, the island of Ireland was divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: ). Two historical counties, County Desmond and County Coleraine, no longer exist. ...

Secondly, the Inland Revenue ceased to operate in most of Ireland. People were instead encouraged to subscribe to Collins' National Loan, set up to raise funds for the young government and its army. By the end of the year the loan had reached £357,000. Rates (tax) were still paid to local councils, as these were controlled by Sinn Féin members, who naturally refused to pass them on to the British government. Thus, by mid 1920, the Irish Republic was a reality in the lives of many people, enforcing its own law, maintaining its own armed forces and collecting its own taxes. The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty. ... Rates are a type of taxation system in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, such as New Zealand, historically used to fund local government. ...

The British forces, in trying to re-assert their control over the country, often resorted to arbitrary reprisals against republican activists and the civilian population. An unofficial government policy of reprisals began in September 1919 in Fermoy, County Cork, when 200 British soldiers looted and burned the main businesses of the town, after one of their number had been killed in an arms raid by the local IRA. (1919-August 1921)
President of the Irish Republic (August-December 1921) Arthur Griffith estimated that in the first 18 months of the conflict, Crown forces carried out 38,720 raids on private homes, arrested 4,982 suspects, committed 1,604 armed assaults, sacked and shot up 102 towns and killed 77 unarmed republicans or other civilians. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... Statistics Province: Munster County Town: Cork Code: C (CK proposed) Area: 7,457 km² Population (2006) 480,909 (including City of Cork); 361,766 (without Cork City) Website: www. ... This article is about the president of the 1919-1922 Irish Republic Republic of Ireland see: President of Ireland. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In March 1920, Tomás Mac Curtain, the Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork, was shot dead, in front of his wife at his home, by men with blackened faces who were later seen returning to the local police barracks. The jury at the inquest into his death returned a verdict of wilful murder against David Lloyd George (the British Prime Minister) and District Inspector Swanzy, among others. Swanzy was later tracked down and killed in Lisburn, in County Antrim. This pattern of killings and reprisals escalated in the second half of 1920 and in 1921. Tomás Mac Curtain 1884-1920 Ardmhéara Chorcaí 30 Eanáir- 20 Márta 1920 Tomás Mac Curtain (March 20, 1884 - March 20, 1920) was a Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland. ... Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish) is a name used by a series of Irish political movements of the 20th century, each of which claimed sole descent from the original party established by Arthur Griffith in 1905. ... The Lord Mayor of Cork is the symbolic head of the local government in the city of Cork in the Republic of Ireland. ... An inquest is a formal process of state investigation. ... David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, OM, PC (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was a British statesman who guided Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations through World War I and the postwar settlement as the Liberal Party Prime Minister, 1916-1922. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ...

Michael Collins and the IRA

Michael Collins was the main driving force behind the independence movement. Nominally the Minister of Finance in the Republic's government as well as IRA Director of Intelligence, he was actively involved in providing funds and arms to the IRA units that needed them, and in the selection of officers. Collins' natural intelligence, organisational capability and sheer drive galvanised many who came in contact with him. He established what proved an effective network of spies among sympathetic members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police's (DMP) "G division" and other important branches of the British administration. The G division men were detested by the IRA as often they were used to identify volunteers who would have been unknown to British soldiers or the later Black and Tans. Collins set up the "Squad", a group of men whose sole duty was to seek out and kill "G-men", members of the DMP's relatively small political division active in subverting the republican movement, and other British spies and agents. Collins began killing RIC intelligence officers from 1919 onwards. Many G-men were offered a chance to resign or leave Ireland by the IRA, and some took these options. Image File history File linksMetadata Portrait_of_Micheál_Ó_Coileáin. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... General Michael John (Mick) Collins (Irish: ; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance in the Irish Republic, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations, both as Chairman of the Provisional Government and... The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government. ... The Dublin Metropolitan Police was formed in 1836, after twenty years of attempts to create an effective policing force in Ireland Rural policing in Ireland began when Chief Secretary for Ireland, Robert Peel created the Peace Preservation Force in 1816. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... This article deals with the RIC Reserve Force of the Anglo-Irish War. ... The Twelve Apostles, alternatively known as the Inner Circle, or just The Squad, was the name of an Irish Republican Army unit founded by Michael Collins to counter the intelligence efforts of the British during the Irish War of Independence, principally by means of assassination. ...

The Chief of Staff of the IRA was Richard Mulcahy, who was responsible for organising and directing IRA units around the country. In theory, both Collins and Mulcahy were responsible to Cathal Brugha, the Dáil's Minister of Defence. However, in practice, Brugha had only a supervisory role, recommending or objecting to specific actions. A great deal also depended on IRA leaders in local areas (such as Liam Lynch, Tom Barry, Sean Moylan, Sean MacEoin and Ernie O'Malley) who organised guerrilla activity, largely on their own initiative. For most of the conflict, IRA activity was concentrated in Munster and Dublin, with only isolated active IRA units elsewhere, such as in north county Longford and western county Mayo. Richard Mulcahy General Richard James Mulcahy (10 May 1886 – 16 December 1971) was an Irish politician, leader of Fine Gael and Cabinet Minister. ... Cathal Brugha Cathal Brugha (born Charles William St. ... Liam Lynch is the name of more than one person of note. ... Tom Barry is also the name of an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter. ... Seán Moylan (November 19, 1888 - November 16, 1957), was a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... Seán MacEoin (1893–1973), Irish Fine Gael politician and soldier. ... Ernie OMalley (1897-1957) was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. ... Statistics Area: 24,607. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Longford Code: LD Area: 1,091 km² Population (2006) 34,361 Website: www. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Castlebar Code: MO Area: 5,397 km² Population (2006) 123,648 Website: www. ...

While the paper membership of the IRA, carried over from the Irish Volunteers was over 100,000 men, Michael Collins estimated that only 15,000 men actively served in the IRA during the course of the war, with about 3,000 on active service at any time. There were also support organisations Cumann na mBan (the IRA women's group) and Fianna Éireann (youth movement), who carried weapons and intelligence for IRA men and secured food and lodgings for them. Irish Volunteers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Cumann na mBan (IPA: ; literally Womens League) was an Irish republican womens paramilitary organisation formed in April 1914 as an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers (IV). ... A recruitment poster for the now-defunct Fianna Éireann group associated with Provisional Sinn Féin. ...

The IRA benefited from the widespread help given to them by the general Irish population, who generally refused to pass information to the RIC and the British military and who often provided "safe houses" and provisions to IRA units "on the run". Much of the IRA's popularity was due to the excessive reaction of the Crown forces to IRA activity.

When Éamon de Valera returned from the United States, he demanded in the Dáil that the IRA desist from the ambushes and assassinations that were allowing the British to successfully portray it as a terrorist^{[citation needed]} group, and to take on the British forces with conventional military methods. This unrealistic proposal was immediately dismissed, but illustrated how many in the Sinn Féin leadership were out of touch with the nature of the conflict. Éamon de Valera (born with the name Edward George de Valera,IPA: [1][2]) (14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was one of the dominant political figures in 20th century Ireland. ... Dáil Éireann[1] is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... Terrorist redirects here. ...

British response

Brittish auxillaries known as the black and tans

The British responded to the escalating violence in Ireland with increasing use of force. Reluctant to deploy the regular British Army into the country in greater numbers, they set up two paramilitary police units to aid the RIC. The "Black and Tans" were set up to bolster the flagging RIC. 7,000 strong, they were mainly ex-British soldiers demobilised after World War I. First deployed to Ireland in March 1920, most came from English and Scottish cities. While officially they were part of the RIC, in reality they were a paramilitary force. After their deployment in March 1920, they rapidly gained a reputation for drunkenness and ill-discipline that did more harm to the British government's moral authority in Ireland than any other group. In response to IRA actions, in the summer of 1920, the "Tans", burned and sacked numerous small towns throughout Ireland, including Balbriggan, Trim, Templemore and others. Image File history File links The Black and Tans File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links The Black and Tans File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This article deals with the RIC Reserve Force of the Anglo-Irish War. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity(English) Wha daur meddle wi me? (Scots)[1] Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots[2] Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ...

In July 1920, another quasi-military police body, the Auxiliaries, consisting of 2,214 former British army officers arrived in Ireland. The Auxiliary Division had an equally bad repution as the Tans for their mistreatment of the civilian population but tended to be more effective and willing to take on the IRA. The policy of reprisals, which involved public denunciation or denial and private approval, was famously satirised by Lord Hugh Cecil when he said: "It seems to be agreed that there is no such thing as reprisals, but they are having a good effect." The term auxiliaries comes from the latin auxilia (help). ... The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary organization within the RIC during the Anglo-Irish War. ... Hugh Cecil Saunders (1889—after 1939) was a celebrated English photographer of the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s, who practised under the professional name of Hugh Cecil. ...

In August of 1920, the British Parliament passed the Restoration of order in Ireland Act, which suspended all coroners' courts, due to the large number of warrants served on members of the Crown forces. They were replaced with "military courts of enquiry". This act has been interpreted by historians as a choice by David Lloyd George to put down the rebellion in Ireland rather than negotiate with the Republican leadership. As result, violence escalated steadily from that summer, and sharply after November 1920 until July 1921. David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, OM, PC (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was a British statesman who guided Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations through World War I and the postwar settlement as the Liberal Party Prime Minister, 1916-1922. ...

It was in this period that a large scale mutiny broke out among the Irish Connaught Rangers, stationed in India, and some of them paid with their lives for joining the cause of rebellious Ireland far away from its soil (see The Connaught Rangers#Mutiny in India, 1920) Mutiny is the act of conspiring to disobey an order that a group of similarly-situated individuals (typically members of the military; or the crew of any ship, even if they are civilians) is legally obliged to obey. ... The Connaught Rangers (the Devils Own) was a regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793 from the men of Connacht by John Thomas de Burgh, 13th Earl of Clanricard. ...

The war, November 1920-July 1921

On November 21, 1920, Collins' Squad killed 18 British intelligence agents (known as the "Cairo Gang") at different places around Dublin. In response, Auxiliaries drove in trucks into Croke Park (Dublin's GAA football and hurling ground) during a football match, shooting into the crowd. 14 unarmed people were killed and 65 wounded. Later that day two republican prisoners, and an unassociated friend who had been arrested with them, were supposedly "shot while trying to escape" (in fact executed) in Dublin Castle. This day became known as Bloody Sunday. Today a stand in Croke Park is named the Hogan Stand, after a Tipperary player who was killed in the attack. November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Croke Park (Irish: Páirc an Chrócaigh) in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports stadium in Ireland and the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Irelands biggest sporting organisation. ... Bloody Sunday of 1920 was a day of violence in Dublin on November 21, 1920, during the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), which led to the deaths of more than 30 people. ... Statistics Province: Munster County Town: North: Nenagh South: Clonmel Code: North: TN South: TS Area: 4,303 km² Population (2006) 149,040[[1]] County Tipperary (Contae Thiobraid Árann in Irish) is a county in the Republic of Ireland, and situated in the province of Munster. ...

The West Cork Flying Column
during the War of Independence.

On November 28, 1920, only a week after Bloody Sunday in Dublin, the west Cork unit of the IRA, under Tom Barry, ambushed a patrol of Auxiliaries at Kilmichael in County Cork, killing all but two of the 18 man patrol. This action marked a significant escalation of the conflict, with counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary, all in the province of Munster being put under martial law on December 10. Shortly afterwards, in January of 1921, "official reprisals" were sanctioned by the British and they began with the burning of seven houses in Midleton in Cork. Image File history File links Flying Column, West Cork Brigade, during the War of Independence. ... Image File history File links Flying Column, West Cork Brigade, during the War of Independence. ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Tom Barry is also the name of an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter. ... Combatants Irish Republican Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Tom Barry Francis Crake† Strength 36 IRA volunteers of the West Cork Flying column 18 officers of the RIC Auxiliary Division Casualties 3 dead 17 dead 1 wounded The ambush of Kilmichael on November 28, 1920 was a turning point in the... Statistics Province: Munster County Town: Cork Code: C (CK proposed) Area: 7,457 km² Population (2006) 480,909 (including City of Cork); 361,766 (without Cork City) Website: www. ... Statistics Area: 24,607. ... For other uses, see Martial law (disambiguation). ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... Midleton is a town in south-eastern County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland. ...

The Custom House in Dublin.
It was burned by the IRA in 1921, but subsequently rebuilt by the Irish Free State.

The Lord Mayor of Cork, Terence MacSwiney, died on hunger strike in Brixton prison in London in November, along with two other IRA prisoners. The centre of Cork was burnt out by Crown forces, who then prevented firefighters from tackling the blaze, on December 11, 1920 in reprisal for an IRA ambush in the city. Download high resolution version (2262x861, 1116 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2262x861, 1116 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The south facade of the Custom House by night The Custom House is a [neoclassical] 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Terence MacSwiney Terence MacSwiney was born in Cork City, County Cork Ireland. ... A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt or to achieve a goal such as a policy change. ... Brixton is an area of South London, England, part of the London Borough of Lambeth. ...

The following eight months until the Truce of July 1921 saw a spiralling of the death toll in the conflict, with 1,000 people including the RIC Police, British Military, IRA volunteers and civilians,^[7] being killed in the months between January and July 1921 alone. This represents about 70% of the total casualties for the entire three year conflict. In addition, 4,500 IRA personnel (or suspected sympathisers) were interned in this time.^[8] In the middle of this violence, the Dáil formally declared war on Britain in March 1921. For other uses, see Internment (disambiguation). ...

On 1 February, the first execution under martial law of an IRA man took place. Cornelius Murphy of Millstreet, Cork, was shot in Cork city. On the 28th, six more were executed, again in Cork. In all, 14 IRA Volunteers were officially executed in the course of the war. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Millstreet (Sráid an Mhuilinn in Irish) is a town in west County Cork, Ireland with a population of approximately 1,500. ... This article is about the city in Ireland. ...

On March 19, 1921, Tom Barry's 100 strong West Cork IRA unit fought a large scale action against 1,200 British troops - the Crossbarry Ambush. Barry's men narrowly avoided being trapped by converging British columns and inflicted between ten and thirty killed on the British side. Just two days later, on March 21, the Kerry IRA attacked a train at the Headford junction near Killarney. An estimated twenty British soldiers were killed, as well as two IRA men and three civilians. Most of the actions in the war were on a smaller scale than this, but the IRA did have other significant victories in ambushes, for example at Millstreet in Cork and at Scramogue in Roscommon, also in March 1921 and at Tourmakeady and Carowkennedy in Mayo in May and June. Equally common however, were failed ambushes, the worst of which, for example at Upton and Clonmult in Cork in February 1921 saw five and twelve IRA men killed respectively and more captured. The IRA in Mayo suffered a comparable reverse at Kilmeena. Fears of informers after such failed ambushes often led to a spate of IRA shootings of informers, real and imagined. March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Crossbarry Memorial, Crossbarry, County Cork. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (81st in leap years). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... Millstreet (Sráid an Mhuilinn in Irish) is a town in west County Cork, Ireland with a population of approximately 1,500. ... The Scramogue Ambush was an incident in Irelands War of Independence. ... Tourmakeady (Tuar Mhic Éadaigh in Irish) is a rural district in County Mayo in the west of Ireland. ... The Carrowkennedy Ambush was an incident in Irelands War of Independence. ... Kilmeena is a small village in County Mayo near Westport. ...

The biggest single loss for the IRA however, came in Dublin. On May 25, 1921, several hundred IRA men from the Dublin Brigade occupied and burned the Custom House (the centre of local government in Ireland) in Dublin city centre. Symbolically, this was intended to show that British rule in Ireland was untenable. However, from a military point of view, it was a fiasco, which saw five IRA men killed and over eighty captured. This showed the IRA was not well enough equipped or trained to take on British forces in a conventional manner. However, it did not, as is sometimes claimed, cripple the IRA in Dublin. The Dublin Brigade carried out 107 attacks in the city in May and 93 in June, showing a fall off in activity, but not a dramatic one. However, by July 1921, most IRA units were chronically short of both weapons and ammunition. Also, for all their effectiveness at guerrilla warfare, they had, as Richard Mulcahy recalled, "been unable to drive the British out of anything bigger than a fairly good sized police barracks". May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... The south facade of the Custom House by night The Custom House is a [neoclassical] 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. ... A fiasco (pl. ... Richard Mulcahy General Richard James Mulcahy (10 May 1886 – 16 December 1971) was an Irish politician, leader of Fine Gael and Cabinet Minister. ...

Still, many military historians have concluded that the IRA fought a largely successful and lethal guerrilla war, which forced the British government to conclude that the IRA could not be defeated militarily.^[9] The failure of the British efforts to put down the guerrillas was illustrated by the events of "Black Whitsun" on May 13-15 1921. A general election for the parliament of Southern Ireland was held on 13 May. Sinn Féin won 124 of the new parliament's 128 seats unopposed, but its elected members refused to take their seats. Under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act, the Southern Parliament was dissolved, and Southern Ireland was to be ruled as a crown colony. Over the next two days (14-15 May) the IRA killed fifteen policemen. These events marked the complete failure of the British Coalition Government's Irish policy - both the failure to enforce a settlement without negotiating with Sinn Féin and a failure to defeat the IRA. The Seán Hogan Flying column during the War of Independence. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Capital Dublin Head of State King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Head of Government Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Chairman of the Provisional Government from Jan 1922. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (134th in leap years). ... Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish) is a name used by a series of Irish political movements of the 20th century, each of which claimed sole descent from the original party established by Arthur Griffith in 1905. ... An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 (this is its official short title; the formal citation is 10 & 11 Geo. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Capital Dublin Head of State King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Head of Government Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Chairman of the Provisional Government from Jan 1922. ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ...

By the time of the Truce however, many Republican leaders, including Michael Collins, were convinced that if the war went on for much longer, there was a chance that the IRA campaign as it was then organised could be brought to a standstill. Because of this, plans were drawn up to "bring the war to England". The IRA did take the campaign to the streets of Glasgow.^[10] It was decided that key economic targets, such as the Liverpool docks, would be bombed. Nineteen warehouses there had been burned to the ground by the IRA the previous November. The units charged with these missions would more easily evade capture because England was not under, and British public opinion was unlikely to accept, martial law. These plans were abandoned because of the Truce. Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Liverpool skyline. ... For other uses, see Martial law (disambiguation). ...

The war in the north-east July 1920-July 1922

Sir James Craig, later Viscount Craigavon
1st Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Craig tacitly approved of "organised respisals" on nationalists for IRA attacks HMSO image

In the Government of Ireland Act 1920 (proposed in July 1920, ratified in December 1920), the British government attempted to solve the conflict by creating two Home Rule parliaments in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. While Dáil Éireann ignored this, deeming the Irish Republic to be already in existence, unionists in the north-east accepted it and prepared to form their own government. This part of Ireland, which was predominantly Protestant and Unionist, saw, as a result, a very different pattern of violence from the rest of the country. Whereas in the south and west, the conflict was between the IRA and British forces, in the north-east and particularly in Belfast, it often developed into a cycle of sectarian killings between Catholics, who were largely nationalist and Protestants, who were mostly unionist. Image File history File links Sir James Craig, Lord Craigavon — first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Image File history File links Sir James Craig, Lord Craigavon — first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Her Majestys Stationery Office (usually abbreviated as HMSO) is part of the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. ... An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 (this is its official short title; the formal citation is 10 & 11 Geo. ... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Capital Dublin Head of State King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Head of Government Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Chairman of the Provisional Government from Jan 1922. ... In the context of Irish politics, Unionists are people in Northern Ireland, who wish to see the continuation of the Act of Union 1800, as amended by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, under which Northern Ireland, created in that latter Act, remains part of the United Kingdom of Great... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Sectarianism is an adherence to a particular sect or party or denomination, it also usually involves a rejection of those not a member of ones sect. ...

Summer 1920 - the war reaches the north

While IRA attacks were less common in the north-east than elsewhere, the unionist community saw itself as being besieged by armed Catholic nationalists who seemed to have taken over the rest of Ireland. As a result, they retaliated against the northern Catholic community as a whole. Such action was largely condoned by the unionist leadership and abetted by state forces. James Craig, for instance, wrote in 1920, "The Loyalist rank and file have determined to take action... they now feel the situation is so desperate that unless the Government will take immediate action, it may be advisable for them to see what steps can be taken towards a system of 'organised' reprisals against the rebels".^[11] Sir James Craig, later Viscount Craigavon 1st Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ...

The first cycle of attacks and reprisals broke out in the summer of 1920. On 17 July 1920, a British Colonel Gerard Smyth was assassinated by IRA in the County Club in Cork city in response to a speech he made to RIC men encouraging reprisals against the civilian population. Smyth came from Banbridge, County Down in the north-east and his killing provoked retaliation there against Catholics in Banbridge and Dromore. On July 21, 1920, loyalists marched on the Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast, forcing over 7000 Catholic and left-wing Protestants from their jobs. Sectarian rioting broke out in response in Belfast and Derry, resulting in about 40 deaths and many Catholics and Protestants being expelled from their homes. On August 22, 1920, RIC Detective Swanzy was shot dead by Cork IRA men while leaving Church in Lisburn, County Antrim. Swanzy had been blamed by an inquest jury for the killing of Cork Mayor Thomas MacCurtain. In revenge, local loyalists burned Catholic residential areas of Lisburn. While several people were later prosecuted for the burnings, no attempt seems to have been made to halt the attacks at the time. Michael Collins, acting on a suggestion by Sean MacEntee, organised a boycott of Belfast goods in response to the attacks on the Catholic community. The Dail approved a partial boycott on August 6 and a more complete one was implemented by the end of 1920. hellotyle=float:right; |- | |- | |} July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Downpatrick Area: 2,448 km² Population (est. ... There are a number of settlements called Dromore: In Northern Ireland: Dromore, Omagh Dromore, Banbridge This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... For the township in Canada, see Loyalist, Ontario In general, a loyalist is an individual who is loyal to the powers that be. ... Samson and Goliath gantry cranes. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ... Tomás Mac Curtain 1884-1920 Ardmhéara Chorcaí 30 Eanáir- 20 Márta 1920 Tomás Mac Curtain (March 20, 1884 - March 20, 1920) was a Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland. ... Seán MacEntee (1889–1984) was a Fianna Fáil politician. ... Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland1. ... August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ...

Spring 1921

After a lull in violence in the north over the new year, killings there intensified again in the spring of 1921. The northern IRA units came under pressure from the their leadership in Dublin to step up attacks in line with the rest of the country. Predictably, this unleashed loyalist reprisals against Catholics. For example, in April 1921, the IRA in Belfast shot dead two Auxiliaries in Donegal Place in Belfast city centre. The same night, two Catholics were killed on the Falls Road. On July 10, 1921 the IRA ambushed British forces in Raglan street in Belfast. In the following week, sixteen Catholics were killed and 216 Catholic homes burned in reprisal. Killings on the loyalist side were largely carried by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), allegedly with the aid of the police, army and the auxiliary police the Ulster Special Constabulary or "B-Specials". The B Specials (set up in September 1920) were largely recruited from Ulster Volunteer Force and Orange Lodges and, in the words of historian Michael Hopkinson, "amounted to an officially approved UVF".^[12] In May James Craig came to Dublin to meet the British Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Fitzalan, and was smuggled by the IRA through Dublin to meet Eamon de Valera. The two leaders discussed the possibility of a truce in Ulster and an amnesty for prisoners. Craig proposed a compromise settlement based on the Government of Ireland Act, with limited independence for the South and autonomy for the North within a Home Rule context. However, the talks came to nothing and violence in the north continued.^[13] The Falls Road (Bóthar na bhFál in Irish, meaning road of the hedgerows) is the main road through West Belfast in Northern Ireland; from Divis Street and Castle Place in Belfast City Centre to Andersonstown in the suburbs. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (more commonly referred to as the UVF) are a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. ... The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) was a reserve force of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. ... Orangemen in traditional dress preparing to march The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly in Northern Ireland and Scotland with lodges throughout the Commonwealth and in the United States. ... James Craig may refer to: James Henry Craig (1748-1812); British military officer and colonial administrator of The Canadas James Craig, Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross in 1855 James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon (1871-1940); first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland James Craig, birth name James Henry Meador (1912... Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the... Statistics Area: 24,481 km² Population (2006 estimate) 1,993,918 Ulster (Irish: Cúige Uladh, IPA: ) forms one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. ... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ...

The propaganda war

The symbol of the Republic:
The Irish tricolour which dated back to the Young Ireland rebellion of 1848.

A symbol of British rule:
The standard of the Lord Lieutenant, using the union flag created under the Act of Union 1800.

Another feature of the war was the use of propaganda by both sides. The British tried to portray the IRA as anti-Protestant in order to encourage loyalism in Irish Protestants and win sympathy for their harsh tactics in Britain. For example, in their communiqués they would always mention the religion of spies or collaborators the IRA had killed if the victim was Protestant, but not if they were Catholic (which was more often), trying to give the impression, in Ireland and abroad, that the IRA were slaughtering Protestants. They encouraged newspaper editors, often forcefully, to do the same. In the summer of 1921, a series of articles appeared in a London magazine, entitled "Ireland under the New Terror, Living Under Martial Law". While purporting to be an impartial account of the situation in Ireland, it portrayed the IRA in a very unfavourable light when compared with the Crown forces. In reality the author, Ernest Dowdall, was an Auxiliary and the series was one of many articles planted by the Dublin Castle Propaganda Department (established in August 1920) to influence public opinion in a Britain increasingly dismayed at the behaviour of its security forces in Ireland. Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... Young Ireland was an Irish nationalist revolutionary movement, active in the mid-nineteenth century. ... Young Ireland was an Irish nationalist revolutionary movement, active in the mid-nineteenth century. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Lord_Lieutenant_of_Ireland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Lord_Lieutenant_of_Ireland. ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 The Union Flag (more commonly known as the Union Jack) is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. ... The Act of Union 1800 merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain (itself a merger of England and Wales and Scotland under the Act of Union 1707) to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... In general, a loyalist is an individual who is loyal to the powers that be. ...

The Catholic hierarchy was critical of the violence of both sides, but especially that of the IRA, continuing a long tradition of condemning militant republicanism. The Bishop of Kilmore, Dr. Finnegan, said: "Any war... to be just and lawful must be backed by a well grounded hope of success. What hope of success have you against the mighty forces of the British Empire? None... none whatever and if it unlawful as it is, every life taken in pursuance of it is murder." The Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Gilmartin, issued a letter saying that IRA men who took part in ambushes "have broken the truce of God, they have incurred the guilt of murder." However in May 1921, Pope Benedict XV dismayed the British government when he issued a letter that encouraged the "English as well as Irish to calmly consider... some means of agreement", as they had been pushing for a condemnation of the rebellion. They declared that his comments "put HMG (His Majesty's Government) and the Irish murder gang on a footing of equality". The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... The Archbishop of Tuam is the consecrated religious leader of the Archdiocese of Tuam and its constituent churches. ... Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ), (Italian: Benedetto XV), (November 21, 1854 – January 22, 1922), born Giacomo della Chiesa, reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from September 3, 1914 to January 22, 1922; he succeeded Pope Pius X (1903–14). ...

Desmond FitzGerald and Erskine Childers were active in producing the Irish Bulletin, which detailed government atrocities Irish and British newspapers were unwilling or unable to cover. It was printed secretly and distributed throughout Ireland, as well as to international press agencies and American, European and sympathetic British politicians. Desmond FitzGerald (1888-1947), Irish revolutionary, poet and Cumann na nGaedhael politician. ... Robert Erskine Childers Robert Erskine Childers DSO (25 June 1870 - 24 November 1922) was an author and Irish nationalist who was executed by the authorities of the newly independent Irish Free State during the Irish Civil War. ... The Irish Bulletin was the official newspaper of the short-lived Irish Republic. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ...

While the military war made most of Ireland ungovernable from early 1920, it did not actually remove British forces from any part. But the success of Sinn Féin's propaganda campaign did remove the option from the British administration to deepen the conflict. The British cabinet had not sought the war that had developed since 1919. By 1921 one of its members, Winston Churchill, reflected: What was the alternative? It was to plunge one small corner of the empire into an iron repression, which could not be carried out without an admixture of murder and counter-murder... Only national self-preservation could have excused such a policy, and no reasonable man could allege that self-preservation was involved.^[14] Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish) is a name used by a series of Irish political movements of the 20th century, each of which claimed sole descent from the original party established by Arthur Griffith in 1905. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was an English statesman, soldier, and author. ...

The truce — an uneasy peace

King George V's appeal for reconciliation was crucial in generating the good will that led to the Truce.

The war in the south of Ireland ended with a truce on July 11, 1921. In some respects the conflict had reached a stalemate. Talks that had looked promising the previous year had petered out in December when David Lloyd George insisted that the IRA first surrender their arms. Fresh talks, after the Prime Minister had come under pressure from Herbert Henry Asquith and the Liberal opposition, the Labour Party and the Trades Union Congress, resumed in the spring and resulted in the Truce. From the point of view of the British government, it appeared as if the IRA's guerrilla campaign would continue indefinitely, with spiralling costs in British casualties and in money. More importantly, the British government was facing severe criticism at home and abroad for the actions of Crown forces in Ireland. On June 6, 1921, the British made their first conciliatory gesture, calling off the policy of house burnings as reprisals. On the other side, IRA leaders and in particular Michael Collins, felt that the IRA as it was then organised could not continue indefinitely. It had been hard pressed by the deployment of more regular British soldiers to Ireland and by the lack of arms and ammunition. Image File history File links GeorgeVUnitedKingdom. ... Image File history File links GeorgeVUnitedKingdom. ... == T.R.U.C.E == Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Childrens Entertainment. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move has no legal moves but is not in check. ... David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, OM, PC (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was a British statesman who guided Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations through World War I and the postwar settlement as the Liberal Party Prime Minister, 1916-1922. ... The Right Honourable Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC (12 September 1852–15 February 1928) served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. ... This article is about the historic Liberal Party. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... Image:TradeUnionsCongress20050108 CopyrightKaihsuTai. ... General Michael John (Mick) Collins (Irish: ; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance in the Irish Republic, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations, both as Chairman of the Provisional Government and...

The initial breakthrough that led to the truce was credited to three people: King George V, General Jan Smuts of South Africa and British Prime Minister David Lloyd George. The King, who had made his unhappiness at the behaviour of the Black and Tans in Ireland well known to his government, was dissatisfied with the official speech prepared for him for the opening of the new Parliament of Northern Ireland, created as a result of the partition of Ireland. Smuts, a close friend of the King, suggested to him that the opportunity should be used to make an appeal for conciliation in Ireland. The King asked him to draft his ideas on paper. Smuts prepared this draft and gave copies to the King and to Lloyd George. Lloyd George then invited Smuts to attend a British cabinet meeting consultations on the "interesting" proposals Lloyd George had received, without either man informing the Cabinet that Smuts had been their author. Faced with the endorsement of them by Smuts, the King and the Prime Minister, ministers reluctantly agreed to the King's planned 'reconciliation in Ireland' speech. George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 - 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, as a result of his creating it from the British branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS (May 24, 1870 – September 11, 1950) was a prominent South African and Commonwealth statesman, military leader, and philosopher. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which existed from June 7, 1921 to March 30, 1972, when it was suspended. ...

The speech, when delivered in Belfast on June 22, had a massive impact. It called on "all Irishmen to pause, to stretch out the hand of forbearance and conciliation, to forgive and to forget, and to join in making for the land they love a new era of peace, contentment, and good will."

On 24 June 1921, the British Coalition Government's Cabinet decided to propose talks with the leader of Sinn Féin. Coalition Liberals and Unionists agreed that an offer to negotiate would strengthen the Government's position if the revolutionaries refused. Austen Chamberlain, the new leader of the Unionist Party, said that "the King's Speech ought to be followed up as a last attempt at peace before we go to full martial law". Seizing the momentum, Lloyd George then issued an appeal for talks to Éamon de Valera in July 1921. The Irish responded by agreeing to talks. De Valera and Lloyd George ultimately agreed to a truce that was intended to end the fighting and lay the ground for detailed negotiations. Its terms were signed on July 9 and came into effect on July 11. Negotiations on a settlement, however, were delayed for some months as the British government insisted that the IRA first decommission its weapons, but this demand was eventually dropped. It was agreed that British troops would remain confined to their barracks. The Rt. ...

Most IRA officers on the ground interpreted the Truce merely as a temporary respite and continued recruiting and training volunteers. Nor did attacks on the RIC or British Army cease altogether. Between December 1921 and February of the next year, there were 80 recorded attacks by the IRA on the soon to be disbanded RIC, leaving 12 dead.^[15] On February 18 1922, Ernie O'Malley's IRA unit raided the RIC barracks at Clonmel, taking 40 policemen prisoner and seizing over 600 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition.^[16] In addition, some IRA units used the truce period as an opportunity to settle old scores. In April 1922, in the Dunmanway Massacre, an IRA party in Cork killed 10 local Protestants in retaliation for the shooting of one of their men. Those killed had been named in captured British files as informers.^[17] Over 100 Protestant families fled the area after the atrocity. Ernie OMalley (1897-1957) was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. ... Clonmel (Cluain Meala in Irish) is a medium-sized town situated in south County Tipperary, Ireland. ... The Dunmanway Massacre refers to the killings of ten Protestant civilians by the Irish Republican Army in and around Dunmanway,County Cork between 26 April/28 April 1922, apparently in response to the killing of a member of the IRA, Michael ONeill, Acting O/C of the Bandon Battalion. ...

The continuing militancy of many IRA leaders was one of the main factors in the outbreak of the Irish Civil War as they refused to accept the Anglo-Irish Treaty that Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith had negotiated with the British. The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic which concluded the Irish War of Independence. ...

The Letter of Accreditation signed by President de Valera in 1921
The letter defined the Irish delegates to the Anglo-Irish negotiations as plenipotentiaries.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x824, 96 KB) This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x824, 96 KB) This work is copyrighted. ...

The treaty

Ultimately, the peace talks led to the negotiation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921), which was then ratified in triplicate: by Dáil Éireann in December 1921 (so giving it legal legitimacy under the governmental system of the Irish Republic), by the House of Commons of Southern Ireland in January 1922 (so giving it constitutional legitimacy according to British theory of who was the legal government in Ireland), and by both Houses of the British parliament. Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic which concluded the Irish War of Independence. ... The Dáil Chamber Dáil Éireann (pronounced ) is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... House of Commons of Southern Ireland was the lower house of the Irish parliament created by the Government of Ireland Act, passed in 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. ...

The Funeral of Michael Collins
St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Dublin, August 1922.

The treaty allowed Northern Ireland, which had been created by the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, to opt out of the Free State if it wished, which it duly did under the procedures laid down. As agreed, an Irish Boundary Commission was then created to decide on the precise location of the border of the Free State and Northern Ireland. The Irish negotiators understood that the Commission would redraw the border according to local nationalist or unionist majorities. Since the 1920 local elections in Ireland had resulted in outright nationalist majorities in County Fermanagh, County Tyrone, the City of Derry and in many District Electoral Divisions of County Armagh and County Londonderry (all north and west of the "interim" border), this might well have left Northern Ireland unviable. However, the Commission chose to leave the border unchanged; as a trade-off, the money owed to Britain by the Free State under the Treaty was not demanded. Newspaper drawing of Michael Collins funeral ( August 1922) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Newspaper drawing of Michael Collins funeral ( August 1922) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... St. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official languages English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, BSL, NISL, ISL Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Ian Paisley  - Deputy First Minister... An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act 1920 (this is its official short title; the formal citation is 10 & 11 Geo. ... The Irish Boundary Commission was established by the Anglo-Irish Treaty that ended the Anglo-Irish War in 1921. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Enniskillen Area: 1,691 km² Population (est. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Omagh Area: 3,155 km² Population (est. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... A District Electoral Division (often abbreviated as DED) is a low-level territorial division in Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Armagh Area: 1,254 km² Population (est. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Derry Area: 2,074 km² Population (est. ...

A new system of government was created for the new Irish Free State, though for the first year two governments co-existed; an Aireacht answerable to the Dáil and headed by President Griffith, and a Provisional Government nominally answerable to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland and appointed by the Lord Lieutenant. (The complexity of this was even shown in the matter by which Lord FitzAlan appointed Collins as head of the Provisional Government. In British theory, they met to allow Collins to "Kiss Hands". In Irish theory, they met to allow Collins take the surrender of Dublin Castle.) Edmund Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, 1st Viscount Fitzalan of Derwent (June 1, 1855 - May 18, 1947), previously known as Lord Edmund Talbot, was the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and the first Roman Catholic to hold the post. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

W.T. Cosgrave
The first head of government in the Free State.

Most of the Irish independence movement's leaders were willing to accept this compromise, at least for the time being, though many militant Republicans were not. A majority of the pre-Truce IRA who had fought in the War of Independence, led by Liam Lynch refused to accept the Treaty and in March 1922 repudiated the authority of the Dáil and the new Free State government, which it accused of betraying the ideal of the Irish Republic. The anti-treaty IRA were supported by former president of the Republic, Eamon de Valera and ministers Cathal Brugha and Austin Stack. cropped image of WT Cosgrave from Image:WTCosgrave. ... cropped image of WT Cosgrave from Image:WTCosgrave. ... For other people named Liam Lynch see Liam Lynch Liam Lynch (9 November 1893 - 10 April 1923) was an IRA officer in the Irish War of Independence and the commanding general of the anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army during the Irish Civil War. ...

July 1921-July 1922, Northern Ireland's bloody birth

While the fighting in the south was largely ended by the Truce on July 11, 1921, in the north killings continued on until the summer of 1922. Moreover, despite the Dail's acceptance of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in January 1922, which confirmed the future existence of Northern Ireland, there were clashes between the IRA and British Crown forces along the new border from early 1922. In part, this reflected Michael Collins' view that the Treaty was a tactical move, or "stepping stone", rather than a final settlement. A number of IRA men were arrested in Derry when they travelled there as part of the Monaghan Gaelic football team. In retaliation, Michael Collins had forty-two loyalists taken hostage in Fermanagh and Tyrone. B-Specials sent to rescue them were ambushed at Clones in Southern territory, with four men killed. Despite the setting up of a Border Commission to mediate between the two sides in late February, March saw IRA raids on three British barracks along the border. All of these actions provoked retaliatory killings in Belfast. Winston Churchill arranged a meeting between Collins and James Craig on 21 January 1922 and the southern boycott of Belfast goods was lifted but then re-imposed after several weeks. The two leaders had several further meetings, but despite a joint declaration that "Peace is declared" on March 30, the violence continued.^[18] July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland1. ... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic which concluded the Irish War of Independence. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... For more information on Monaghan GAA see Monaghan Senior Football Championship or Monaghan Senior Hurling Championship The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Irish: Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Muineachán) or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible... Gaelic football (Irish: Peil or Caid ), commonly referred to as football, Gaelic or GAA (gah), is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. ... Clones (Irish:Cluain Eois) – pronounced (IPA) – is a small town in western County Monaghan, in the border area of Ireland. ... James Craig may refer to: James Henry Craig (1748-1812); British military officer and colonial administrator of The Canadas James Craig, Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross in 1855 James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon (1871-1940); first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland James Craig, birth name James Henry Meador (1912... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

From April to June 1922, Collins launched a clandestine guerrilla IRA offensive against Northern Ireland. By this time, the IRA was split over the Anglo-Irish Treaty, but both pro and anti-treaty units were involved in the operation. Arms sent by the British to arm the new Irish Army were in fact given to IRA units and their weapons were sent to the North. However, the offensive, launched with a series of IRA attacks in the North on May 17-19, ultimately proved a failure. On May 22, after the assassination of unionist politician William Twaddell, 350 IRA men were arrested in Belfast, crippling its organisation there. The largest single clash came in June, when British troops had to use artillery to dislodge an IRA unit from the village of Pettigo, killing seven, wounding six and taking four prisoners. This was the last major confrontation between the IRA and British forces in the period 1919-1922.^[19] The cycle of sectarian atrocities against civilians however continued into June 1922. On June 17, in revenge for the killing of two Catholics, Frank Aiken's IRA unit killed six Protestant civilians in Altnaveigh, south Armagh. Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic which concluded the Irish War of Independence. ... Troops from the Ranger wing, the Irish armys Special forces The Irish Army (Irish: Arm na hÉireann) is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces (Óglaigh na hÉireann). ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... William John Twaddell (1884-22 May 1922) was a Unionist politician from Belfast. ... Pettigo (Irish: Poiteagó) is a small picturesque village on the border of County Donegal and County Fermanagh. ... Frank Aiken (February 13, 1898 - May 18, 1983) was a senior Irish politician. ...

Michael Collins held the British general Henry Hughes Wilson responsible for the attacks on Catholics in the north and had him killed in June 1922, an event that inadvertently helped to trigger the Irish Civil War (Winston Churchill insisted after the killing that Collins take action against the Anti-Treaty IRA, whom he assumed to be responsible). The outbreak of the civil war in the South had the ironic effect of ending the violence in the North, as the war demoralised the IRA in the northeast and distracted the attention of the rest of the organisation from the question of partition. After Collins' death in August 1922, the new Irish Free State quietly ended his overt violent aggression towards Northern Ireland. Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Bt. ... The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ... The split in Sinn Féin and the Irish Republican Army following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921 led to the emergence of group of Anti-Treatyites, sometimes referred to as the Irregulars, who continued to use the name Irish Republican Army (IRA) or in Irish Óglaigh...

Casualties

The total numbers killed in the guerrilla war of 1919-21 between Republicans and Crown Forces in what became the Irish Free State came to over 1,400. Of these, 363 were Police personnel, 261 were from the regular British Army, 550 IRA volunteers were killed (including 14 official executions) and about 200 civilians.^[20] Some other sources give higher figures.^[21] Territory of the Irish Free State Capital Dublin Language(s) Irish, English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1922–1936 George V  - 1936–1936 George VI President of the Executive Council  - 1922–1932 W.T. Cosgrave  - 1932–1937 Eamon de Valera Legislature Oireachtas  - Upper house Seanad Éireann  - Lower house Dáil Éireann...

A total of 557 people died in political violence in what would become Northern Ireland between July 1920 and July 1922. This death toll is usually counted separately from the southern casualties as many of these deaths took place after the July 11 truce that ended fighting in the rest of Ireland. Of these deaths, 303 were Catholics (including IRA men), 172 Protestants and 82 RIC or British Army personnel. Belfast saw the majority of the violence, 452 people being killed there - 267 Catholics and 185 Protestants^[22] Catholic nationalists have argued that this violence represented a pogrom against their community, as a disproportionate number of victims (58%) of the northern violence were Catholics, even though they represented only around 35% of Northern Ireland's population. Pogrom (from Russian: ; from громить IPA: - to wreak havoc, to demolish violently) is a form of riot directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious or other, and characterized by destruction of their homes, businesses and religious centers. ...

Independence and the Irish Civil War

Main article: Irish Civil War

The subsequent Irish Civil War lasted until mid-1923 and cost of the lives of many of the leaders of the independence movement, notably the head of the Provisional Government Michael Collins, ex minister Cathal Brugha, as well as anti-Treaty republicans Harry Boland, Rory O'Connor, Liam Mellows, Liam Lynch and many others: total casualties were several times those in the earlier fighting against the British. President Arthur Griffith also died. The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ... The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ... General Michael John (Mick) Collins (Irish: ; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance in the Irish Republic, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations, both as Chairman of the Provisional Government and... Cathal Brugha Cathal Brugha (born Charles William St. ... Harry Boland Harry Boland (1887–1922) was an Irish nationalist of the early Twentieth Century. ... Rory OConnor (1883 - 1922) was an Irish republican activist. ... Liam Mellows (1895-1922) was born in Manchester to Irish parents, and grew up in county Wexford, Ireland. ... For other people named Liam Lynch see Liam Lynch Liam Lynch (9 November 1893 - 10 April 1923) was an IRA officer in the Irish War of Independence and the commanding general of the anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army during the Irish Civil War. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Following the deaths of Griffith and Collins, W.T. Cosgrave became head of government. On 6 December 1922, following the coming into legal existence of the Irish Free State, W.T. Cosgrave became President of the Executive Council, the first internationally recognised head of an independent Irish government. William Thomas Cosgrave (Irish name Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair; 6 June 1880 – 16 November 1965), known generally as W.T. Cosgrave, was an Irish politician who succeeded Michael Collins as Chairman of the Irish Provisional Government from August to December 1922. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Territory of the Irish Free State Capital Dublin Language(s) Irish, English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1922–1936 George V  - 1936–1936 George VI President of the Executive Council  - 1922–1932 W.T. Cosgrave  - 1932–1937 Eamon de Valera Legislature Oireachtas  - Upper house Seanad Éireann  - Lower house Dáil Éireann... The President of the Executive Council (Irish: Uachtaráin na hArd-Chomhairle) was the head of government or prime minister of the 1922-1937 Irish Free State, and the leader of the Executive Council (cabinet). ...

The war ended in mid-1923 in defeat for the anti-treaty side.

Later in his life, as President of Ireland, when asked what had been his biggest political mistake, Éamon de Valera said "not accepting the Treaty".^{[verification needed]} Official Seal of the President of Ireland Mary McAleese, the current President of Ireland. ... Éamon de Valera (born with the name Edward George de Valera,IPA: [1][2]) (14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was one of the dominant political figures in 20th century Ireland. ...

Memorial

A memorial called the Garden of Remembrance was erected in Dublin in 1966, the fiftieth anniversary of the Easter Rising. The date of signing of the truce is commemorated by the National Day of Commemoration, when all those Irish men and women who fought in wars in whatever armies are commemorated. The Garden of Remembrance is an Irish memorial garden, created in Dublin to commemorate all those killed in the Anglo-Irish War (also known as the Irish War of Independence) between 1919 and 1922. ... Combatants Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Army, Irish Republican Brotherhood British Army Royal Irish Constabulary Commanders Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, Brigadier-General Lowe General Sir John Maxwell Strength 1250 in Dublin, c. ... The Irish National Day of Commemoration is held annually on the Sunday nearest July 11, the anniversary of the date in 1921 that a Truce was signed ending the Irish War of Independence. ...

Films

• 1996 - Michael Collins
• 2006 - The Wind That Shakes The Barley

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Wind That Shakes The Barley is a Palme dOr-winning 2006 film set during the Irish War of Independence (1919–21) and the subsequent Irish Civil War (1922–3). ...

Notes

1. ^ (Hopkinson, Irish War of Independence p 201-202)
2. ^ Hopkinson, Irish War of Independence p 201-202)
3. ^ Hopkinson lists 200 killed in southern Ireland 1919-21,Richard English, Armed Struggle, a History of the IRA, gives a total of 557 killed in Northern Ireland in 1920-1922 page 39-40
4. ^ The war is often referred to as the "Irish War of Independence" in Ireland and as the "Anglo-Irish War" in Britain, the "Tan War" by anti-Treaty republicans and was known contemporarily as "the Troubles", not to be confused with the later conflict in Northern Ireland, which is also referred to as the "the Troubles".
5. ^ According to Republican Sinn Féin, "The executions of the 1916 leaders quickly swung public support behind the ideals and objectives of those who had participated in and led the Rising " ending British rule and the establishment of a free and independent Irish Republic."[1]
6. ^ Hopkinson, Irish War of Independence pg 201-2
7. ^ Peter Hart (above) has described this as ethnic cleansing of Protestants from Munster. Ryan (also above) quotes Lionel Curtis, political advisor to Lloyd George, writing in early 1921 "Protestants in the south do not complain of persecution on sectarian grounds. If Protestant farmers are murdered, it is not by reason of their religion, but rather because they are under suspicion as Loyalist. The distinction is fine, but a real one." Nevertheless, between 1911 and 1926, the territory of the Free State lost 34 percent of its (small) Protestant population to migration.
8. ^ (M.E. Collins, Ireland p 265)
9. ^ According to historian Michael Hopkinson, the guerrilla warfare, "was often couragous and effective" (Hopkinson, Irish War of Independence p204). Another historian, David Fitzpatrick notes that, "The guerrilla fighters... were vastly outnumbered by the forces of the Crown... the success of the Irish Volunteers in surviving so long is therefore noteworthy" (Bartlett, Military History of Ireland, p 406)
10. ^ [2]
11. ^ (Hopkinson, Irish War of Independence, p. 158)
12. ^ Hopkinson, Irish War of Indpendence, p. 158
13. ^ Hopkinson, Irish War of Independence, page 162
14. ^ W. Churchill, The Aftermath (Thornton 1929) p297.
15. ^ Niall C. Harrington Kerry Landing, p. 8
16. ^ Harrington p.10
17. ^ Meda Ryan, Tom Barry, IRA Freedom Fighter, p.157
18. ^ Michael Hopkinson, Green Against Green, the Irish Civil War, page79-83
19. ^ Hopkinson, Green Against Green, page 83-87
20. ^ (Hopkinson, Irish War of Independence p 201-202)
21. ^ The PSNI, successor to the RIC via the RUC, lists the figures of RIC killed as 418, with 146 British soldiers killed. One in twenty of the RIC dead with one in twelve wounded. See figures available here
22. ^ Richard English, Armed Struggle, a History of the IRA, page 39-40

For the UK post-rock band, see Troubles (band) The Troubles is a term used to describe the latest installment of periodic communal violence involving Republican and Loyalist paramilitary organisations, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the British Army and others in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s until the late... Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) is a political party[2] operating in Ireland. ... Peter Hart is a Canadian historian, specialising in modern Irish History. ... Armenian civilians, being cleansed from their homeland during the Armenian Genocide. ... Statistics Area: 24,607. ...

Bibliography

• Tim Pat Coogan, Michael Collins
• M.E. Collins, Ireland 1868-1966 (Educational Company 1993)
• F.S.L. Lyons, Ireland Since the Famine
• Dorothy MacCardle, The Irish Republic (Corgi paperback)
• Lord Longford, Peace by Ordeal
• Michael Hopkinson, The Irish War of Independence (Gill & Macmillan, 2002)
• Michael Hopkinson, Green against Green, the Irish Civil War (Gill & Macmillan, 2004)
• Peter Hart, The IRA at War 1916-1923 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003 ISBN 0-19-925258-0) and The IRA and Its Enemies: Violence and Community in Cork, 1916-1923 (OUP 1998, ISBN 0-19-820806-5)
• Meda Ryan, Tom Barry: IRA Freedom Fighter (Cork: Mercier Press, 2003). ISBN 1-85635-425-3
• Richard English, Armed Struggle, a History of the IRA, (MacMillan 2003)
• Richard Comerford, Ireland Inventing the Nation (Hodder 2003).

External links

• Chronology of Irish History 1919 - 1923
• Cork's War of Independence
• Eleven killed in an IRA gun ambush outside Dromkeen 3 February 1921, on the Limerick Leader web site.