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. 

14 March 2012: Establishment of Land and Armies

As with the American Civil War, the country was not unified under a single banner or allegiance. There were people from both sides of the fighting who adamantly believed that they were correct and were willing to fight and die in order to preserve the ideals that they believed in. One major difference between the Irish Civil War and the American Civil War was the in Ireland, there were not defined areas that were unified. For example, in the American Civil War, it was pretty much the north against the south. This was not so in Ireland. There were sections of support for each group spread throughout the whole country, as shown by the map to the right. The anti-treaty forces essentially maintained a perimeter around the border of Ireland while the pro-treaty forces occupied the central area of the country. It is fairly apparent that the anti-treaty forces had the advantage in this situation. These divisions were derived from the pro-treaty and anti-treaty forces choosing a side and leader to support, as I talked about in the last post. People who supported the treaty officially formed the National Army, which was perhaps more commonly known as Free State Army. Their opponents often called them "Staters." People who were anti-treaty named themselves Republicans while the members of the Free State Army preferred to call them "Irregulars." The Republicans claimed that they were defending the Irish Republic, which was created after the Eater Rising in 1916. The were defending it because of how it had been seemingly abandoned when the Free State was accepted, as I discussed in the last post. Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera were the primary players in this action. These two groups emerged from the IRA, a once unified force that secured independence and secession from Britain for Ireland during the Irish War of Independence. The IRA was now split into pro-treaty and anti-treaty forces.

As shown in the map above, the anti-treaty forces enjoyed both tactical and numerical advantage. They outnumbered the pro-treaty forces by over 2 to 1. Neither army was very strong because the IRA had sustained losses in the Irish War of Independence as well as many soldiers being recruited by the British. While the anti-treaty forces had tactical and numerical advantage, they were at a great disadvantage because of the lack of a defined command structure. As a result, they had no clear strategy and insufficient arms. They did not have enough rifles for each soldier so most soldiers were armed with handguns or shotguns. Not only did they not have sufficient arms for the soldiers, they did not have a substantial amount of armored vehicles. They managed to acquire a few armored cars from the British as they were withdrawing from the country, who were anticipating trouble. Despite all of these troubles, perhaps the most damning aspect of the anti-treaty forces' troubles was the fact that they had no artillery. This meant that they were at a severe disadvantage while attacking. In fact, because of having no artillery, they were forced to take a defensive approach during the course of the war.

While the pro-treaty forces were at first at a numerical disadvantage, this problem was quickly solved by Michael Collins and his commanders, who were able to secure help from many forces, as well as supplies from Britain. Not only did Collins secure munitions and other supplies from Britain, he was able to recruit British officers for their tactical knowledge. The Republican forces used this propaganda to claim that the Free State Army was just a proxy for Britain. This was simply not true though, as most soldiers had no combat experience  in either the First World War or the Irish War of Independence. As the opposing sides organized themselves and started to acquire munitions and supplies, an ugly was imminent. Next week, I will discuss the various methods and tactics employed by both sides as the war progressed.

29 February 2012: Divisions in Ireland

Signatures on the Anglo-Irish Treaty

The root of why the Irish Civil War happened can be traced back to the Anglo-Irish Treaty. This treaty was signed to give the Irish Free State the power to govern itself as a dominion in the British Empire. This treaty came to fruition after the Irish War of Independence, which I discussed in my last post. Throughout the course of the Irish War of Independence, the faction named the Irish Republican Brotherhood grew quite a bit. After the Anglo-Irish Treaty was agreed to and signed, the Irish Republican Brotherhood became the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Northern Ireland chose to opt out of what the treaty agreed on. This action planted the idea of not tagging along with the Irish Free State and the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Two of the major players in the IRA were Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera. Both of these men wanted independence for Ireland but they each had different ideas of how to acquire this independence. Collins supported the treaty while de Valera was opposed of the treaty. This disagreement between these two leaders led to the resignation of de Valera as President of the Republic. After resigning, de Valera went on to form the Republic Association. While the IRA were unified as one throughout the course of the Irish War of Independence, they were now beginning to experience tensions because of the treaty. Most of the members of the IRA disagreed with the treaty but there were a few who supported Collins. The members of the IRA who opposed the treaty formed their own faction which was a sort of Army Executive. They called this faction the real government of Ireland, despite the results of the elections that were held in 1921. The forming of this faction brought about the disintegration of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). The RIC were a group of Irish nationalists who played a major part in setting in motion events that would eventually lead to the Irish Civil War. As is fairly obvious, the two opposing factions within the once unified IRA is not good for a country that just gained its independence.

The secession of Northern Ireland was also not a good thing to happen because of the conflicts it stirred up within the Irish people. The Northern Irish leaders and de Valera thought Collins acted without first consulting them and as a result, refused to agree to the terms set forth by the Anglo-Irish Treaty. After Northern Ireland decided to opt out of the treaty, a new boundary was drawn up to replace the original boundary that was established in 1920. Almost immediately after gaining independence, Ireland was falling apart because of Michael Collins acting on his own accord because he thought he knew what was best for the country. This action had greater repercussions than he could imagine and would ultimately lead to divisions great enough for the Irish people to fight each other. I will discuss the land of Ireland and how land played a role in the Irish Civil War next time.

Michael Collins

22 February 2012: Irish War of Independence and Secession from Britain

When discussing the Irish War of Independence, it is important to remember the conditions that the people were living under. The people were not happy because of being under British rule. They demanded home rule but the British were loathe to give up the power and control they had in Ireland. These circumstances led to certain events that took place because of the Irish people wanting to do something about the British refusing to allow them to control their own country. The first notable event was the Home Rule Crisis. This was characterized by the British Government granting home rule in 1912 but then suspending it because of the First World War. Ireland was split as to whether or not they should be involved in the war. As a result, some of who were called the Irish Volunteers supported the British while others supported the idea of Home Rule in Ireland. The Irish Republican Brotherhood, a faction in the volunteer movement, prepared to conduct a revolt against British rule in Ireland. The plan for revolt was realized in the next significant event, the Easter Rising of 1916. This is generally considered the start of the Irish Republic. This revolt was staged mainly in Dublin where over 400 people died. The whole rising lasted about one week, but some of the events that occurred after the rising was quelled caused widespread disdain for the British. Irish leaders of the Easter Rising were executed. News of this action spread across Ireland and the Irish people almost unanimously desired alienation from Britain.

The next significant event that occurred was The First Dáil. In the 1918 general election, Irish voters showed their disapproval of British rule and policy by taking 70% of the seats. It was determined that an Irish Parliament (known as The First Dáil) would be set up. The Dáil reaffirmed the 1916 declaration and established a Declaration of Independence. The also issued a message to the free nations of the world that stated that there was an "existing state of war, between Ireland and England." The Irish Volunteers were reconstituted as the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Between the Easter Rising of 1916 and the start of the Irish War of Independence in 1919, there were several instances where fighting broke out and Irish civilians were wounded, killed or arrested and British troops were arrested. One event that is widely considered the beginning of the War of Independence was when two IRA members, who were acting totally independently from any governing body, shot and killed two Royal Irish Constabulary officers, who were escorting explosives. These men acted on their own accord to essentially start a war. This is just a very basic overview of some of the events that took place leading up to the Irish War of Independence. Next week, I will discuss the divisions within Ireland and the problems these divisions caused. 

"Birth of the Irish Republic"

13 February 2012: Introduction

The Irish Civil War is a very hard event to describe because of the ambiguous nature of the events that took place over the course of the early 1920's. There was not a single event that set off the war, but rather a series of events that essentially led to what happened. In order to gain a basic understanding of why the Irish Civil War started, it is important to understand a little about the Irish War for Independence. This war began in 1919 and was between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the British forces stationed in Ireland at the time. This war lasted until July 1921 when both sides agreed to a ceasefire. Ultimately, talks led to something called the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which basically ended British rule in Ireland under the condition that there be a provisional government overseeing the transitional period for ten months. After this ten month period, the Irish Free State was established however, more troubling times were coming.

While most of the nationalists of Ireland were in favor of establishing an independent republic, there were secret negotiations that led to Ireland being a dominion of the British Empire, which meant that the British monarch was the head of state. Irish people who fought together in the War of Independence now found themselves at odds with each other because of the differing opinions about the current state of affairs after the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Not long after the treaty was ratified, Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith set up a Provisional Government to transfer power from the British administration to the Irish Free State. In the build up to war, there were several armed conflicts between opposing forces of the IRA, those in favor of the treaty and those who opposed it. One notable clash was in Limerick. There were military barracks here that would soon be vacant because the British troops would be leaving. The conflict was over who would occupy the barracks once they were empty. This situation was temporarily solved when they compromised and decided that each side would occupy two barracks. There was an even bigger conflict in Kilkenny when anti-treaty forces occupied the center of the town pro-treaty troops were sent from Dublin to disperse them. These are just a few of the conflicts that eventually led to the descent into civil war in Ireland. Next week will cover in more detail the Irish War of Independence and Irish secession from Britain.

The purpose of the blog is to research the Irish Civil War and inform readers of the events that have transpired in the early 20th Century. I was inspired to write a blog and learn about Irish history because I will be taking a tour of the county gardens and landscapes as well as other Irish historical sights and attractions in May 2012.