The Easter rebellion 1916 was a failure militarily. However, the execution of 15 rebel leaders in May 1916 followed by Sir Roger Casement, in August 1916, by the British authorities generated the essential popular support to finally rid repressive British rule from Ireland.
Internment and guerrilla war training
Frongach Internment Camp, North Wales became a guerrilla warfare training camp, where 3,000 Irish POWs captured by British forces following the Easter 1916 rebellion in Dublin, were trained and reorganised to fight for Irish independence. Irish POWs were released in December 1916 including Michael Collins who commenced his first real work for Ireland as Director of Organisation of Volunteers. Collins quickly recovered the list of Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) members from Kathleen Clarke, Thomas Clarke's (executed in 1916) widow to set up the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Early in 1917, Sgt Ned Broy of Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) HQ Dublin Castle contacted Collins with invaluable intelligence on Dublin Castle espionage activity.
The Manpower Act of 1918
The British government moved to extend conscription during WW I to Ireland, which produced no troops but mobilised support for the Sinn Fein (Ourselves Alone) political party. Armistice Day, November 11, 1918 in Dublin, resulted in 125 wounded and five dead British soldiers.
The First Dail (Irish Parliament)
On January 2 in the first Dail, Collins was on the IRB Supreme Council and Sinn Fein Executive and was voted in as Minister for Home Affairs. Collins met Sean Treacy who had killed two Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) men, to sequester explosives for the revolution against tyrannical British rule. On 1/4/1919, in a much larger Dail, Collins was elected Ireland's first Minister for Finance, he promised to raise £250,00 then proceeded to raise £378,856.
The Fight for Irish Freedom (Cogadh na Saoirse)
Sgt Broy brought Collins into Dublin Metropolitan Police HQ, Dublin Castle where he spent the night examining Police files on leading IRA men. In response, Collins set up the 'Twelve Apostles,' the Squad from the Dublin Brigade, IRA.
- On September 7, 1919, British troops were ambushed near Fermoy, Co Cork, in response, Sinn Fein, the Volunteers (IRA) and the Dail were proscribed by the British;
- In March 1920, the 'Black and Tans' named after a pack of hounds, were unleashed on the unsuspecting Irish population. They excelled at terrorising the civilian population and did more to undermine British authority in Ireland than the IRA;
- On March 20, 1920, Lord Mayor MacCurtain of Cork was shot dead by masked men. The coroner brought in a verdict of wilful murder against British Prime Minister Lloyd George and high ranking RIC officers; The Auxilliaries were sent to Ireland ostensibly to aid the RIC, instead they terrorised the civilian population;
- September 20,1920 three British soldiers were killed in a raid by the IRA in Church Street Dublin, Kevin Barry, a medical student, was captured;
- September 20,1920 Balbriggan town was sacked by Black and Tans;
- October 14, 1920, Sean Treacy was killed in a gun battle, Dublin City Centre, and brought down Lt.Price and two detectives;
- In October, Collins was ready to eliminate the 'Cairo Gang' Dublin Castle spy network;
- November 1, 1920 Kevin Barry was executed, a ballad was written in his memory;
- The Kilmichael, Co Cork ambush of Black and Tans on 28th November, led by Tom Barry, claimed eighteen lives. This ambush is faithfully recreated in the film 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley.'
- November 21,1920, British soldiers drove into Croke Park playing pitch, fired into the crowd killing 14 innocent civilians - the first Bloody Sunday;
- The 'Cairo Gang' were eliminated that same evening by the 'Twelve Apostles' with 15 agents shot dead, the rest fled to safety in Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle spying ceased to operate, a major achievement for Collins; The RIC had already been silenced;
- March 16,1921, 1,000 members of Crown Forces threw a wide cordon around Tom Barry and his Flying Column. Barry broke through the cordon and claimed the lives of eighteen British soldiers.
Collins departed from convention by using women from Cumann na mBan (Women's Club) and children from Fianna Eireann (Soldiers of Ireland) as spies because they were immune from arrest. The war of attrition was liberating Cork County, the IRA held all the aces, the British accepted the reality of guerrilla warfare.
The Thompson sub machine gun and the Truce
On June 16, 1921 a consignment of Thompson sub machine guns, paid for by the United States based Clan na nGael (Irish Family), were used for training in the Christian Brothers School, Marino, Dublin. At this stage there were 3,300 rifles, 25% of which belonged to Liam Lynch's 1st Southern Division in Cork. Crown Forces amounted to 15,000 troops and 17,000 police by early 1921. The success of the Irish Volunteers (IRA) in surviving as an operative force is noteworthy.
On July 11, 1921 Michael Collins attended the Truce negotiations in London. Collins returned to Dublin, October 31, to negotiate arms allowed through to Ireland from Hamburg, Germany. On December 6, with immediate war threatened, the Treaty was signed. The War of Independence had succeeded. Collins as President of the Supreme Council of the IRB halted Cathal Brugha's attempt to control the army. On December 8, The Dail approved the Anglo-Irish Treaty by one vote. Collins felt he had signed his own death warrant. The 22month Irish Civil War between Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treary forces commenced 04.07hrs 28/6/1922 when Brigadier General O'Daly fired on the Four Courts Dublin.
Cogadh na Saoirse 1917-21 medals were struck in 1941 by An Taoiseach de Valera. This writer's grandfather was awarded his medal for an engagement in Clifden, Co Galway March 20, 1920.
Sources
- The Wind that Shakes the Barley a film by Ken Loach 2004
- On Another Man's Wound by Ernie O'Malley, Anvil Books 2008
Michael Manning - ' The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity' W.B.Yeats
