16 May 2012: Coming Home

Dublin

I had the privilege to be a part of a group that toured the country of Ireland between the dates of May 7-15. The course that this trip was a part of was Horticulture 499 – Gardens and Landscapes of Ireland. To begin with, many of the stereotypes that exist about Ireland and Irish people are false. However, there are a few that are true. For example, it rains almost every day in Ireland. On the first three days of our trip, we experienced overcast conditions with rain and no sun throughout the whole day. This was not a major issue though because our group came prepared for this type of weather. After spending considerable time touring Dublin and mingling with the people of the city, I learned that the Irish people as a whole are extremely friendly and polite. They are always willing to converse with you should you desire to talk to them. In addition to this, they will always use proper manners and thank you for things. It fascinates and delights me that you can travel over 3000 mile across an entire ocean and still be able to connect with someone of a different culture and upbringing on a personal level.

National Botanic Gardens

            This ability to converse with the Irish people was instrumental in helping me to develop my communication skills. I enjoy meeting people and making new friends so this course helped me do that with both the members of my group and the people that I met while in Ireland. Spending a week with the same group of people might frustrate some people because of grievances they may have the other group members throughout the week. This was not the case with our group. We quickly realized before we left that we would have a blast spending time with each other in Ireland. Everyone got along with each other very well and no one we left out of conversation or activity at any point on the trip because we all enjoyed each others company so much.

Feeding the seagulls

            Not only was touring and sightseeing an integral part of the trip, learning was also a central focus of our time. Because of the amount of time spent on a bus traveling from one destination to another, we were able to learn about Irish culture and history from the incredibly insightful talks our tour guide gave us. He was extremely knowledgeable on his country’s history. This knowledge allowed him to give us an unbiased view towards the events of Ireland’s long and storied history. It was fascinating to learn about why the Irish people believe some of the things they do today. Certain events or situations may have forced them into thinking one way or influenced a decision that would have led them down a particular path. It was very evident through the talks that our tour guide was passionate about Ireland’s history and culture.

            Overall, the trip was an incredible experience and I am very thankful to have been given this opportunity. I would love to go back to Ireland at some point to experience certain things again as well as see some new locations that Ireland has to offer.

23 April 2012: Lasting Impact

As with almost all other wars, there was a legacy that has been left behind because of all of the fighting. Unfortunately, the view that people have of Ireland and the Irish people today can be somewhat negative. Some of the negative stereotypes that exist about the Irish people come from the war and the actions taken by some of the people during the war. While some may be true about a small percentage of Irish people, it is unfair to judge an entire nation on a small section of their history. This is a discussion for another time though, as I want to focus on the political ramifications from the war.

Fianna Fáil poster from 1959
(Taken from http://www.theeasterrising.eu)

Even though the fighting was finished and the war may have been over, any form of fabricated peace did no translate very well on the political front. The two main political parties in Ireland continued to opposed each other even after the war. These parties were Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Fianna Fáil were descendents of anti-treaty forces and Fine Gael were of the pro-treaty forces. Despite the fact that the violent fighting was completed, the battle resumed in the form of politics. One of the main reasons both sides were so poisoned against each other was because the leading members of each party were veterans of the war. They had a very real understanding of what they stood for and what their opponents stood against. The personal wounds from the war played a significant role in the way most of the political decisions were handled. Many of the politics children also became politics so the personal wounds felt by many of the leading members were felt by both sides for a number of years in Irish politics.

Fine Gael Logo
(Taken from http://www.spiralli.ie)

Fianna Fáil took control of Irish politics in the 1930's. It looked as if another civil war might break out between the IRA and the Free State. Fighting was averted though and violence in politics seemed to have died out by the 1950's. The IRA however still caused some trouble in Ireland. It wasn't until 1948 that the IRA finally renounced and discouraged military attacks on the southern portion of Ireland when it became the Republic of Ireland. After renouncing these attacks, the IRA devoted itself to ending British rule in Northern Ireland. They wanted to govern themselves and were willing to fight to achieve their goals, as we have seen time and time again throughout Irish history. Finally, the Irish Civil War was over and the political parties were no longer fighting against each other with violence, only in the way that politicians typically battle. This concludes my blog on the Irish Civil War. I hope you found it is intriguing as I have and hope I was able to shed a little light on the subject with the limited knowledge I have on the subject through my research.

Dolan, Anne. "Review of The Politics of the Irish Civil War". (review no. 502). 23 April, 2012. <http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/502>

19 April 2012: Losses and Consequences

Four Courts Shelling
(Taken from www.theirishhistory.com)

After discussing in detail the tactics employed by both sides, it may not come as a surprise to learn of the actual number of people killed throughout the conflict. In addition to the losses to many prominent figures from both sides, there were significant losses sustained to both the fighting forces and civilians. It is estimated that somewhere around 4000 people were killed during the war. This may not seem like a very high number compared to the First or Second World War, but you must remember the stage of the conflict. For example, both World Wars encompassed many different armies from all over the world (hence the name World War). The Irish Civil War was a war between the two divided side of one army, admittedly an army that was already suffering from its war with Britain during the Irish War of Independence. Any amount of human life due to conflict is tragic, but 4000 lives taken out of a struggling land is horrific.

Burning of a political building.
(Taken from http://downtonabbeyhistory.tumblr.com/)

The impact of the war did not just influence the population and strength of the military in Ireland, it also severely impacted the nation's economy. Because of all of the destruction caused by both sides to public infrastructure due to sabotage, important delivery lines were severed. These roads and railways could no longer be used to transport vital resources to the various parts of the country. During that time, railway lines were the fastest way to transport these items so taking away the most valuable transportation method had a very negative impact on the economy of Ireland because of the inability to buy, sell and deliver goods. It is estimated that nearly £50 million ($68,000,000) worth of property and infrastructure was destroyed throughout the whole war. Not only were vital transportation lines destroyed, many political and administrative buildings were also destroyed. Many of these buildings were burned. Even today, this is an enormous amount of money. It was considered even higher given this all took place in the early 1920's. The country was reeling from the sheer amount of money it would cost just to try to repair some of the damages that had taken pace during the war.

The fighting was finally over but the Irish still had a long road ahead of them in order to get back to any type of political, economic or national stability. The had to sort out all of the political problems that came as a result of many of the leaders being assassinated during the war. They also had to try to figure out how to rebuild much of the infrastructure throughout the country. Not to mention simply rebuilding or saving what little was left of a lot of the political buildings in the major cities. The Irish had it very rough through the early decades of the 20th Century, but they were to blame for some of these problems. Next week I will discuss some of the political issues and the lasting impact or legacy the war had on Irish culture.

Walsh, Paul V. "The Irish Civil War." Bob Rowen. NYMAS, 11 Dec 1998. Web. 19 Apr 2012. <http://bobrowen.com/nymas/irishcivilwar.html>.

10 April 2012: Aftermath of War

After the Emergency Powers Act, which I discussed in the last post, was enacted, the Republicans took a much more peaceful approach to their rebellion and dissension. A few months after the Emergency Powers Act was enacted, 8000 out of 12,000 Republican prisoner that were being kept in Free State prisoners went on a hunger strike. This did not have the effect the prisoners desired it to have and lasted forty one days. One positive result from the strike though was that a large majority of the women prisoners were released from prison. Another positive result from the strike was that the focus of the Republican struggle was now focused on the prisoners and their subsequent organizations. After 13,000 Republicans had been taken as prisoners in July, de Valera realized the focus of the Republican action was now centered around the prisoners. Any progress the Republicans were going to make against the Free State was going to come from the prisoners. De Valera was quoted as saying, "the whole future of our cause and of the nation depends in my opinion upon the spirit of the prisoners in the camps and in the jails. You are the repositories of the national faith and will." Although few good things can come from imprisoning 13,000 people, it did mean that there was a dramatic decrease in the number of executions and overall violent outbreaks throughout Ireland. This was mainly because most or all of the people who would have committed these violent acts were in jail and could not cause any violence. It seemed as if de Valera was willing to accept to role that the Republicans were now forced to assume. If they were going to rebel in any way, it would be in a peaceful manner within the confines of their prisons. The hunger strike is a good example of this dissension. Essentially, the Republicans did one of the only things they could in another act of defiance against the Free State. Like I said earlier though, this only resulted in the Free State releasing the women prisoners that were being kept in the prisons. Finally, the Free State was in control and there was no threat of any type of uprising or conflict among the people of Ireland. 

Free State Army in Formation

When discussing the Irish Civil War, it is very important to first remember why the conflict was happening in the first place and second, who was fighting. The main source of the conflict was the difference of interest between the members of the then unified IRA. After the conflict with Great Britain and the subsequent secession from that same country, the IRA split up into two separate groups. One group was in favor of the treaty that was agreed upon while the other group was totally against the treaty. The Free State was the group the supported the treaty while the Republicans was the group that was against the treaty. The Free State supported Michael Collins, the man who was sent to negotiate this treaty. Some members of the IRA thought he was just going to negotiate and were extremely unhappy when he came back to Ireland with the treaty in hand. These people who were unhappy were the Republicans and allied themselves behind Éamon de Valera. They all thought the Republicans could have gotten much more freedom from the Britain through the treaty and were willing to fight and give up their lives for it.

Republicans Firing Weapons

Though the Irish Civil War was short, only a couple of years, it was very bloody. It started with typical fighting between the Free State Army and the Republicans but quickly escalated into a war of sabotage and executions. The Free State was much better equipped and organized while the Republicans were kind of a ragtag group of civilians who were equipped with poor weapons and even poorer strategy and very little training. As you can see from these pictures, it is quite evident which side was better equipped and trained. Next week, I will discuss the losses sustained by both sides and what the total result of the war was.

2 April 2012: The End of the Fighting

After all of the horrific actions taken by both the Free State and the Republicans, it seemed as if it was only a matter of time before it was ended. As it turned out, the worst part of the war was directly before the end. By 1923, the offensive and defensive capabilities of the Republicans were in a very rough shape. This proved to be an influencing factor for the decision that was made to end their campaign after Republican leader Liam Deasy was captured by Free State forces. Deasy called for his fellow Republicans to stop fighting and reach an agreement with the Free State. This proved to be one of the reasons the Republicans stopped fighting. Another reason is that the Free State executed 34 Republican prisoners. This was demoralizing for the rest of the Republican forces and had a great and terrific effect on their morale. Not only were the Republicans demoralized, they were being systematically broken up and taken down by the Free State forces. This seemed to point to the end of the war but for some reason when the Republican leader, Éamon de Valera, called for a ceasefire, the Free State declined. It was as if they felt they needed to punish the Republicans more than they already had for fighting and resisting. On March 26, the Republicans gathered to discuss the future of the war and a proposal was actually brought forth to end it. This proposal was rejected by a vote of 5 in favor and 6 against. It seemed as if the war would never end because now the Republicans would not back down.

Éamon de Valera

A few short weeks later however, Liam Lynch, one of the stubborn and unyielding Republican leaders was killed. The Free State Army had learned from Republican prisoners that multiple Republican leaders would be in Knockmealdown mountains in early April. This information led to the death of Lynch and the capture of a few other high ranking Republican officers. The lack of Republican leadership then led to the appointment of Frank Aiken. With this new leader, the Republicans finally listened and gave up what seemed to be a futile struggle against the Free State Army. By the end of April, Aiken had declared a ceasefire on behalf of the Republicans. To show that they actually wanted a ceasefire, the Republican forces were ordered to dump their weapons. This was the best option because they were fighting a fight they simply could not win. Éamon de Valera supported the order, issuing a statement to Anti-Treaty fighters on 24 May; "Soldiers of the Republic. Legion of the Rearguard: The Republic can no longer be defended successfully by your arms. Further sacrifice of life would now be in vain and the continuance of the struggle in arms unwise in the national interest and prejudicial to the future of our cause. Military victory must be allowed to rest for the moment with those who have destroyed the Republic." It seemed as if the nightmare was over and Ireland was finally in a state of peace, even if it was fragile.


It was not to be though as the peace negotiations enacted by the Free State government in early May fell through. As a result, they were worried that the 13,000 Republicans who had been captured after they dumped their weapons and returned home would revolt and start fighting again. This meant that the Emergency Powers Act was enacted. This took place on July 2 and was approved by a vote of 37-13. The Irish Civil War finally seemed to be over. While this is true for the most brutal fighting, it was not completely finished. I will talk about some of the events that took place after the Emergency Powers Act in the next post.

26 March 2012: Atrocities of War

As the war progressed and the Republicans became less and less able to sustain the guerrilla tactics they were employing, the resorted to other tactics to compensate for the lack of success that they were so obviously experiencing. One of the tactics they resorted to was destruction of public infrastructure and sabotage. They assumed that since they couldn't gain or regain control of important cities and towns from the Free State Army, they could sabotage the public infrastructure, roads and railways, used by both the Free State Army and the citizens who were not particularly aligned with Republicans or the Free State Army. This could have dealt a major blow to the Free State Army because of supply lines and communication between the various forces who were spread around the country but I do not think it had any type of significant impact on the army because of the inefficiency and disorganization of the Republicans attacks. Not only did they destroy infrastructure in an attempt to gain some form of superiority over the Free State Army, they also tried to demoralize and set them back by burning the homes of some of the members. The Republicans employed these tactics because they were desperate. While the Free State Army was seemingly in control of the war and as a result the country, they were not above committing atrocious acts of war in the latter parts of the war.

The Free State Army stooped to a new low after the Republicans resorted to sabotage and destruction of public infrastructure. The Free State Army resorted to executions and assassinations instead of diplomacy or conventional warfare. The first execution took place on November 17 when five men were shot and killed by a firing squad. The Free State Army were executing Republican sympathizers in addition to the Republican prisoners. They executed Robert Erskine Childers, who was an acclaimed author and treaty negotiator. Total, the Free State authorized 77 official executions of Republican prisoners throughout the course of the war. This is only the number of official executions authorized. It is impossible to know how many other executions there were that were not authorized or sanctioned. In response to the executions, the Republicans assassinated Seán Hales, a political adviser of the Free State. After this happened, the Free State retaliated by executing four prominent Republicans who had been held since the first week of the war. Not only did they execute these four men, Free State forces in County Kerry executed nine Republican soldiers who had been captured. They were tied to a landmine which was then detonated. The blast killed eight of the prisoners while one man was thrown clear from the explosion and was able to escape. This was a horrific time in Irish history and is credited as a reason there is bitterness in Irish politics.

As the war progressed and drew to a close, it became clear that the Republicans would be unable to sustain the guerrilla warfare they were employing because of a gradual loss of support. The Free State did no have this problem though, as they were supported by the Roman Catholic Church. The Church deemed the Free State as the lawful government of the country and therefore supported them entirely. This support led to hostility among some of the Republicans but they really did not do anything about it. After all of the executions and retaliations, it seemed as if the war was finally drawing to a close as the Republicans simply could not sustain their war effort. This led to the end of the war and a ceasefire, which I will talk about in the next post. 

21 March 2012: Tactics and Strategies

As I discussed in the last post, both sides had to adopt fairly different tactics and strategies because of various advantages or disadvantages they had based on the number of troops, supplies and munitions available to them. The Republicans had more troops and a greater tactical advantage based on controlled land but lacked a defined command structure. Regardless of how many troops they had or how much better the land they controlled was, no organization among the rank and file would prove to be a major weakness of the Republicans. As mentioned in the last post, the Republicans were forced to adopt a defensive strategy throughout the war because of a lack of offensive capability in the form of artillery. Even though the Republicans had a numerical advantage at first, this advantage was quickly dissolved because of the charismatic leaders of the Free State Army, Michael Collins and his commanders. Collins was able to secure men and munitions as well as officers from Britain. Since both sides had established themselves and made what they were fighting for known, it was only a matter of time before fighting broke out.

While it would seem the the Free State Army had superiority because they controlled Dublin, this did not stop the Republicans from attacking many other important Irish cities. The Republicans controlled Cork, Limerick and Waterford but were not equipped to hold out in a traditional military style against the better trained and equipped Free State Army. The leader of the Republicans, Liam Lynch, hoped the Republicans could simply hold the cities they already controlled long enough to renegotiate a treaty with Britain. This did not happen as planned though because the Free State Army took the cities controlled by the Republicans fairly easily in August of 1922. Michael Collins and the other leaders of the Free State Army planned a nationwide offensive to take many of the key cities that the Republicans controlled. He sent forces to attack Limerick in the west, Waterford in the south-east, Cork and Kerry in the south and Mayo in the west, as evidenced by the map. Limerick and Waterford were wrestled from Republican control on July 20 while Cork was taken on August 10 and Mayo was taken sometime after that. The Republicans were ill-equipped for this type of concentrated and organized attack and did not put up much resistance. 

Since the Republicans knew they could not match the military might of the Free State Army, Lynch ordered a new style of fighting; guerrilla warfare. This style is quite unique in that the various groups of soldiers would wait for the opportune moment and strike the enemy when they were most vulnerable. This strategy was fairly successful at first but the Republicans could not sustain this type of conflict because of the toll it took on the soldiers. From a Republican standpoint, it was successful because a group of men managed to kill Michael Collins in an ambush in August of 1922. This left the Free State Army in the hands of General Richard Mulcahy. It seemed as if the Free State Army might collapse because of the death of both the military leader, Collins, and the government leader, W. T. Cosgrave, who had died of a brain hemorrhage just 10 days before Collins was killed. However, the death of Collins increased the bitterness and fury of the members of the Free State. As time progressed, the Republicans could not sustain the guerrilla tactics they were employing and suffered heavy losses, both to fighting and to the harsh winter that had set in. Eventually, they resorted to sabotage and destruction of public infrastructure. This downward spiral of the Republicans led to atrocities and executions against the Free State Army, which I will discuss in greater detail next week.