De Valera’s return from the United States saw a disagreement over the conduct of the War of Independence. He believed that the ambushes and assassinations were mere “pinpricks” and that to bring the British to the negotiating table they would need large propaganda spectacles. Months of planning eventually led to the attack on the Custom House; seen…

As the War of Independence approached its conclusion another conflict was taking shape; that between Michael Collins and Cathal Brugha. Most often Brugha is castigated as petty, bitter and jealous, trying to knock down the man who was single handedly fighting off the British. The reality is that Brugha was unnerved by the power Collins possessed, a…

While de Valera had plans to remain on in the United States into 1921, his stay came to an end in December. By then he had moved against the Friends of Irish Freedom and created a new organisation, though he had left before it grew to over 700,000 members. He would leave as quietly has he had arrived, but he and the Irish Delegation had done much t…

Two men are claimed to have been shot during the false surrender, not 3 as given here.The Kilmichael Ambush stands as one of the most famous actions of the War of Independence but remains shrouded in mystery. An audacious operation which boosted Republican morale and shocked the British government, debate continues over the false surrender alleged …

On the morning of the 21st of November 1920 teams of IRA men shot and killed British Intelligence agents throughout Dublin in a concentrated attack. Hours later British forces responded by entering a Gaelic Football match at Croke Park and firing into the crowd, resulting in the deaths of 14 civilians. Immortalized as Bloody Sunday, just one of a n…

At the end of October 1920 a nationwide offensive was ordered to coincide with the execution of Kevin Barry. Though called off at the last moment, attacks went ahead in Kerry, leading to what became known as the Siege of Tralee. While the British government had to finally step in and order the Black and Tans to lift the siege, Britain would stage a…

Unwilling to create another martyr like Thomas Ashe, British authorities had taken to releasing hunger strikers and then re arresting them when they recovered. When released IRA prisoners would often go on the run and RIC morale was crumbling as they lost faith in the British government to protect them. When the Lord Mayor of Cork began a hunger st…

In October 1920 the new British intelligence structure operating from Dublin Castle closed in around Dan Breen, convinced he was responsible for the killing of a high ranking RIC officer in Cork. He would be hospitalized after a dramatic battle in Drumcondra but British agents would continue to stalk his close friend Seán Treacy.References:Joe Ambr…

Deployed alongside the Black and Tans and sent to make Ireland “an appropriate hell for those whose trade is agitation”, poor conditions and a lack of a clear objective would lead the Auxiliaries on a war path of drunkenness, destruction and murder. Though consisting of just 2,100 men they would be the IRA’s main opponent for the duration of the Wa…

With both major parties nominating candidates for the US Presidential election, de Valera and the Friends of Irish Freedom tried to put their differences aside to campaign for a resolution on Irish Independence. However hostilities broke out again at the Republican Convention in June where de Valera would actively sabotage the success achieved by C…

From Michelangelo da Caravaggio to Michael Collins and from The Taking of Christ to The Terrorising of Clarke, Italian Renaissance Art and the Irish Republican Army aren’t topics often discussed in the same breath, but an act of revenge and the grief it caused would link forever the names of Collins, Clarke and Caravaggio with District Inspector an…

June 1920 saw the new military figures appointed to take charge of policing in Ireland prepare the ground for legislation which would give British forces a freer hand in dealing with the IRA. However, attempts to use the RIC to assist the army as scouts started a mutiny in Kerry and the publication of an inflammatory speech given by the Divisional …

Most discussions on the life of Lord French end with his removal from command of the British Expeditionary Forces during the First World War but after this event he would have a dramatic effect on the course of Irish history. In command of the Home Forces during the 1916 Rising, he would support the executions carried out by Sir John Maxwell and la…