In the same week, a leading British Unionist named Henry Wilson was assassinated and General O’Connell of the Free State Army was kidnapped. Collins was forced to act. On 28 June 1922, Collins began to attack the Four Courts with artillery borrowed from Britain. The Civil War had officially begun.
Within two days, the Irregulars in the Four Courts had surrendered and within the week had yielded the other buildings in Dublin city. Sixty-four people died in Dublin, including Cathal Brugha. Rory O’Connor was captured and replaced by Liam Lynch as the Chief-of-Staff of the Irregulars. De Valera condemned the government’s actions and supported the anti-Treaty side of the IRA.
The Irregulars retreated to Munster, where they had a lot of support. They had control of many of the old RIC barracks and used guerrilla warfare tactics against the Free State Army. South of the Limerick– Waterford line became known as the Munster Republic. A recruitment drive meant that the Free State Army grew to 60,000, greatly outnumbering the Irregulars. They drove them out of the barracks they had taken over. Cork fell to the Free State Army on 12 August. The Irregulars retreated to the countryside.
The Free State Army shells the Four Courts, occupied by the Irregulars
Destruction in Dublin during the Civil War
COLLABORATE: Work together to research whether your local area has any connection to the Civil War and present your information to the class.
CHECKPOINT!
1. How did the Treaty affect Sinn Féin? 2. Who were (a) the Regulars and (b) the Irregulars? 3. What were the results of the 1922 election? What did they mean? 4. What event sparked the fighting in the Civil War? 5. Describe the events in Dublin. 6. What was the Munster Republic?
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I can explain the divisions that followed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and describe the main events of the Civil War.
