Irish Civil War

Question 1

What groups did the IRA split into, due to the Treaty?

Answer 1

Supporters of the Treaty - Irish Free State Army/Regulars
Against the Treaty - Irregulars

Question 2

Taking over the Four Courts:
1. Who?
2. When?
3. Why?
4. Why was Collins hesitant to attack?

Answer 2

1. The Irregulars led by Rory O’ Connor
2. April 1922
3. In protest against the Dáil’s acceptance of the Treaty
4. These people had been his former colleagues and friends

Question 3

Who was commander-in-chief of the Pro-Treaty Free State Army?

Answer 3

Michael Collins

Question 4

What were the results of the 1922 General Election?
What did they show?

Answer 4

Total Pro-Treaty: 92
Total Anti-Treaty: 36

Question 5

Describe the course of the Civil War

Answer 5

1. Irregulars occupy the Four Courts
2. 1922 General Election is held
3. Henry Wilson assassinated and General O’Connell was kidnapped
4. Collins ordered an attack on the Four Courts using loaned artillery from Britain
5. Irregulars surrendered
6. Rory O’ Connor captured and replaced
7. Irregulars retreated to Munster
8. Free State Army take over Cork
9. Irregulars retreat to countreyside

Question 6

When did the 1922 General election occur?

Answer 6

June 1922

Question 7

What happened the same week of the General election?

Answer 7

-Leading British Unionist, Henry Wilson, was assassinated.
-General O’ Connell of the Free State Army was kidnapped

Question 8

What marked the start of the Civil War?

Answer 8

28 June 1922, Collins orders an attack on the Four Courts using loaned artillery from Britain

Question 9

When did the Irregulars surrender?

Answer 9

Irregulars in the Four Courts surrendered within 2 days of the free state army taking back the Four Courts.
Irregulars in other Dublin buildings surrendered within the week

Question 10

What happened as a result of the surrender?

Answer 10

-Sixty-four people dead- including Cathal Brugha
-Rory O’Connor captured and replaced by Liam Lynch as Chief-of-Staff of the Irregulars
-De Valera condemned the government’s actions and supported the Irregulars

Question 11

Where did Irregulars retreat to, after the surrender?
What did they do there?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

What was the Munster Republic?

Answer 12

South of the Limerick-Waterford line

Question 13

How many people did the Free State Army recruit?
What did they do after this?

Answer 13

-60,000, outnumbering the Irregulars

-They drove the Irregulars out of the barracks and took over Cork on 12 August.
-The Irregulars retreated to the countryside however free state had an advantage as they knew the countryside well

Question 14

How and when did Arthur Griffith die?

Answer 14

Brain haemorrhage on 12 August 1922

Question 15

What role did Arthur Griffith play in Irish history?

Answer 15

-founded Sinn Féin
-One of the chief negotiators with the British
-Essential in building the new Irish government

Question 16

How and when did Michael Collins die?

Answer 16

Killed in an ambush in Béal na Bláth between Bandon and Cork city while inspecting the Free State Army, on 22 August 1922

Question 17

What happened as a result of Collins’s death?

Answer 17

People, like de Valera, believed that the bloodshed needed to end. We know this as both pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty sides attended his funeral and mourned him.
The Free State government took a harder line against the Irregulars

Question 18

When and where was Michael Collins funeral?

Answer 18

28 August 1922 in Glasnevin Cemetery.
There were almost a half a million attendees.

Question 19

Who was the president of the Dáil after Collins?

Answer 19

W.T. Cosgrave

Question 20

Who was the new Minister of Home Affairs after Arthur Griffith?

Answer 20

Kevin O’ Higgins

Question 21

Special Powers Act:
1. Who put this in place?
2. What was it?
3. When?
4. What happened as a result of this?

Answer 21

1. Free State government
2. It allowed its forces to arrest, try and imprison IRA members for a number of offences, and even execute them. It also made owning a firearm illegal
3. October 1922
4. 12,000 Irregulars were arrested

Question 22

When did Liam Lynch die?

Answer 22

April 1923

Question 23

Who was the new chief-of-staff of the Irregulars?

Answer 23

Frank Aiken

Question 24

When did the Irregulars agree to a ceasefire?
Who prompted this?

Answer 24

24 May 1923
De Valera and Frank Aiken

Question 25

What was the legacy of the Civil War?

Answer 25

-Death and damage to property
-A divided country
-Political developments
-Boundary commission remained unchanged

Question 26

How many people were killed during the Civil war?

Answer 26

Up to 1,500

Question 27

How much damage was caused due to the Civil War?

Answer 27

Roughly €‎38 million of damage was caused to property and the centre of Dublin had to be rebuilt

Question 28

What were the political developments after the Civil war?

Answer 28

-Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin renamed to Cumann na Gaedheal in early 1923
-Constitution (Saorstát Éireann) was written for the Irish Free State
-Oireachtas was set up
-Garda Síochána set up
-Courts system was reorganised
-Fianna Fáil formed from anti-Treaty Sinn Féin in 1926

Question 29

How was ceasefire agreed?

Answer 29

After the death of Liam Lynch in Apr 1923, de Valera and the new chief of staff Frank Aiken persuaded IRA members to agree in may 24 1923

Question 30

Why was de Valera important?

Answer 30

Leader of the anti- treaty Sinn féin
Agreed to cease fire may 1923