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The Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War. Leaving Cert History Sovereignty and Partition 1912-1949. Divisions. The divisions between the Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty sides grew greater and often friends and families were divided.

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The Irish Civil War

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  1. The Irish Civil War • Leaving Cert History • Sovereignty and Partition 1912-1949

  2. Divisions • The divisions between the Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty sides grew greater and often friends and families were divided. • The British began to withdraw from barracks and, as they did so, different groups of Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty IRA members competed to occupy them. • The Pro-Treaty IRA became know as the Free State Army or the Regulars. • The Anti-Treaty IRA were called the Republicans or the Irregulars.

  3. The Slide to Civil War • A group of Republicans or Irregulars took over the Four Courts in the centre of Dublin • Collins was reluctant to take direct action against them • The election showed a decent majority in favour of the Treaty and this strengthened the government’s policy • Irregulars murdered a British diplomat in London and kidnapped a Free State Army general • Collins attacked the Irregulars in the Four Courts using artillery borrowed from Britain • They surrendered but fighting continued in Dublin and Munster.

  4. The Munster Republic • The Republicans retreated south of an imaginary line from Limerick to Waterford, which became known as the Munster Republic • Both Limerick and Waterford were easily captured by the Free State Army • The Irregulars were forced to withdraw to the countryside and revert to guerrilla warfare • Collins landedRegular troops by sea to surround towns and cities in Munster

  5. The Deaths of Collins and Griffith • Two of the most important leaders of the Free State government died within a short time of each other • Arthur Griffith died of a brain haemorrhage on 12/8/1922 • Michael Collins was killed in an ambush at Béal na mBláth, Co. Cork on 22/8/1922 • W.T. Cosgrave and Kevin O’Higgins became the new leaders of the Free State government

  6. The end of the Civil War • The Civil War dragged on and became increasingly bitter • Kevin O’Higgins had Rory O’Connor executed • O’Connor was best man at his wedding • Liam Lynch, leader of the Anti-Treaty IRA, was killed in the Knockmealdown Mountains in 1923 • The Anti-Treaty IRA were running out of men • The Public Safety Act of 1923 which gave the Free State government the power to intern and execute Republicans • Frank Aiken replaced Lynch and, together with de Valera, called a halt to the violence in 1923 – there was no truce or treaty, simply a dumping of arms.

  7. The results of the Civil War • Death and destruction: Over 900 people were killed and damage to property was around €38m. • Bitterness: The Civil War caused great bitterness which poisoned Irish politics for generations to come. • Lost leaders: The country lost some its best and ablest leaders, such as Collins and Griffith, when it needed them most. • Political Parties: The two largest political parties in Ireland grew out of the Pro- and Anti-Treaty sides – Cumann na nGaedhael (later Fine Gael) came from the Pro-Treaty side and Fianna Fáil from the Anti-Treaty side.

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