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Michael Collins (Irish leader)

 
Michael Collins (Irish Leader)

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Michael Collins (Irish leader)



 
 
Michael John ("Mick") Collins (; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 revolutionary leader
Leadership

Leadership is one of the most salient aspects of the organizational context. However, defining leadership has been challenging. The following sections discuss several important aspects of leadership including a description of what leadership is and a description of several popular theories and styles of leadership....
, Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Ireland)

The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Republic of Ireland minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland....
 and MP
Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators....
 for Cork South
South Cork (UK Parliament constituency)

South Cork was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885-1922.Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 the area was part of the Cork County constituency....
 in the First Dáil
First Dáil

The First D?il was D?il ?ireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "D?il ?ireann"....
 of 1919, Director of Intelligence
Military intelligence

Military intelligence , is a military service that uses List of intelligence gathering disciplines which informs the commanders' decision making process by providing intelligence analysis of Intelligence from a wide range of sources including forecast environmental changes , and opposing force intentions....
 for the IRA
Irish Republican Army

The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation descended from the Irish Volunteers, established 25 November 1913 and who in April 1916 staged the Easter Rising....
, and member of the Irish delegation
Delegation

Delegation is the assignment of authority and responsibility to another person to carry out specific activities. However the person who delegated the work remains accountable for the outcome of the delegate work....
 during the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty

The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the de facto Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence....
 negotiations. Subsequently he was both Chairman of the Provisional Government
Chairman of the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland

The Chairman of the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland was a transitional post established in January 1922, lasting until the creation of the Irish Free State in December 1922 in the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland....
 and Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function....
 of the National Army
Irish Army

The Irish Army is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces . It was first formed in 1922 after the implementation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the subsequent foundation of the Irish Free State....
. Throughout this time, at least as of 1919, he was also President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood

The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic Republic" in the mid nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
. He was shot and killed in August 1922, during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independence from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
.

Although most Irish political parties recognise his contribution to the foundation of the modern Irish state, members and supporters of Fine Gael
Fine Gael

Fine Gael ? The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. It claims a membership of 30,000, and is the largest parliamentary opposition party in the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament....
 hold his memory in particular esteem, regarding him as their movement's founding father, through his link to their precursor Cumann na nGaedhael
Cumann na nGaedhael

Cumann na nGaedhael , sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal, was an Irish language name given to two Ireland political parties, the second of which became modern Fine Gael party....
, a name adopted in 1923 by the pro-Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty

The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the de facto Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence....
 wing of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
.

in Sam's Cross, West Cork
West Cork

West Cork in south-west Ireland, lies in Ireland's largest county, County Cork. The area is actively promoted as distinct from other areas of the county, such as the more populated northern or eastern parts of the county, as well as the more urban area of Metropolitan Cork....
, Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, Collins was the third son and youngest of eight children.






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Michael John ("Mick") Collins (; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 revolutionary leader
Leadership

Leadership is one of the most salient aspects of the organizational context. However, defining leadership has been challenging. The following sections discuss several important aspects of leadership including a description of what leadership is and a description of several popular theories and styles of leadership....
, Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Ireland)

The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Republic of Ireland minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland....
 and MP
Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators....
 for Cork South
South Cork (UK Parliament constituency)

South Cork was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885-1922.Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 the area was part of the Cork County constituency....
 in the First Dáil
First Dáil

The First D?il was D?il ?ireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "D?il ?ireann"....
 of 1919, Director of Intelligence
Military intelligence

Military intelligence , is a military service that uses List of intelligence gathering disciplines which informs the commanders' decision making process by providing intelligence analysis of Intelligence from a wide range of sources including forecast environmental changes , and opposing force intentions....
 for the IRA
Irish Republican Army

The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation descended from the Irish Volunteers, established 25 November 1913 and who in April 1916 staged the Easter Rising....
, and member of the Irish delegation
Delegation

Delegation is the assignment of authority and responsibility to another person to carry out specific activities. However the person who delegated the work remains accountable for the outcome of the delegate work....
 during the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty

The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the de facto Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence....
 negotiations. Subsequently he was both Chairman of the Provisional Government
Chairman of the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland

The Chairman of the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland was a transitional post established in January 1922, lasting until the creation of the Irish Free State in December 1922 in the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland....
 and Commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function....
 of the National Army
Irish Army

The Irish Army is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces . It was first formed in 1922 after the implementation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the subsequent foundation of the Irish Free State....
. Throughout this time, at least as of 1919, he was also President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood

The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic Republic" in the mid nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
. He was shot and killed in August 1922, during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independence from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
.

Although most Irish political parties recognise his contribution to the foundation of the modern Irish state, members and supporters of Fine Gael
Fine Gael

Fine Gael ? The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. It claims a membership of 30,000, and is the largest parliamentary opposition party in the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament....
 hold his memory in particular esteem, regarding him as their movement's founding father, through his link to their precursor Cumann na nGaedhael
Cumann na nGaedhael

Cumann na nGaedhael , sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal, was an Irish language name given to two Ireland political parties, the second of which became modern Fine Gael party....
, a name adopted in 1923 by the pro-Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty

The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the de facto Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence....
 wing of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
.

Early years

Born in Sam's Cross, West Cork
West Cork

West Cork in south-west Ireland, lies in Ireland's largest county, County Cork. The area is actively promoted as distinct from other areas of the county, such as the more populated northern or eastern parts of the county, as well as the more urban area of Metropolitan Cork....
, Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, Collins was the third son and youngest of eight children. Most biographies state his date of birth as 16 October 1890; however, his tombstone lists his date of birth as 12 October 1890.

His father, also called Michael, had become a member of the republican
Irish Republicanism

Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union 1800, the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
 Fenian
Irish Republican Brotherhood

The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic Republic" in the mid nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
 movement, but had left and settled down to farming. The elder Collins was sixty years old when he married Marianne O'Brien, then twenty-three, in 1875. The marriage was apparently happy and they raised 8 children on their 90-acre farm called Woodstock. Michael was the youngest child and when his father died he was only 6 years old.

Collins was a bright and precocious child, with a fiery temper and a passionate feeling of nationalism
Nationalism

Nationalism refers to an ideology, a feeling, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation. While there is significant debate over the historical origins of nations, nearly all Expert accept that nationalism, at least as an ideology and social movement, is a Modernity phenomenon originating in Europe....
. This was spurred on by a local blacksmith, James Santry, and later, at the Lisavaird National School by a local school headmaster, Denis Lyons, a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood

The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic Republic" in the mid nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
 (IRB, an organisation Collins would eventually lead). Collins was tall and strapping, and loved sports.

After leaving school, the 15-year-old Collins followed in the footsteps of many people from Ireland, especially of the Clonakilty
Clonakilty

Clonakilty , often referred to by locals simply as Clon, is a small town in West County Cork, Republic of Ireland, approximately 45 minutes away by road to the west of Cork ....
 area, and moved to London. While there he lived with his elder sister, and studied at King's College London
King's College London

King's College London is a United Kingdom higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by George IV of the United Kingdom and the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of University of Oxford and Un...
. After taking the British Civil Service examination in February 1906, he was employed by the Post Office
Post office

A post office is a facility authorized by a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail. Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies....
 from July 1906. In 1910, he moved to London where he became a messenger at a London firm, Horne and Company. In 1915, he moved to the Guaranty Trust Company of New York where he remained until his return to Ireland the following year.

He joined the London GAA
London GAA

The London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or London GAA is one of the GAA county outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London....
 and, through this, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret, oath-bound society dedicated to achieving Irish independence
Irish Republicanism

Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union 1800, the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
. Sam Maguire
Sam Maguire

Samuel Maguire , an Irish Republican and Gaelic footballer, is chiefly remembered as the eponym of the Sam Maguire Cup, given to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship of Gaelic football....
, a Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland. Like other Anglican churches, it considers itself to be both Catholicism and Protestant Reformation....
 republican from Dunmanway
Dunmanway

Dunmanway is a small town in County Cork, in the southwest of Republic of Ireland. It is the geographical centre of the region known as West Cork....
, County Cork
County Cork

County Cork is the most southerly and the largest of the modern counties of Republic of Ireland. Cork is nicknamed "The Rebel County", as a result of the support of the townsmen of Cork in 1491 for Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the throne of England during the Wars of the Roses....
, introduced the 19-year-old Collins into the IRB.

Easter Rising

Michael Collins first became known during the Easter Rising
Easter Rising

The Easter Rising was a rebellion staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was an attempt by militant Irish republicanism to win independence from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland....
 in 1916. A skilled organiser of considerable intelligence, he was highly respected in the IRB, so much so that he was made financial advisor to Count Plunkett
George Noble Plunkett

George Noble Plunkett or Count Plunkett was an Ireland nationalist and father of Joseph Mary Plunkett, one of the leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916....
, father of one of the Rising's organisers, Joseph Mary Plunkett
Joseph Mary Plunkett

Joseph Mary Plunkett was an Ireland nationalist, poet, journalist, and leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. His father, George Noble Plunkett, was a papal count and curator of the National Museum of Ireland....
, whose aide-de-camp Collins would become.

When the Rising itself took place on Easter Monday
Easter Monday

Easter Monday is the day after Easter and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christianity cultures, especially Roman Catholic Church cultures....
, 1916, he fought alongside Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse

Patrick Henry Pearse was a teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916....
 and others in the General Post Office
General Post Office (Dublin)

The 'General Post Office' in Dublin is the headquarters of the Irish postal service An Post, and Dublin's principal post office. Sited in the centre of the city's main thoroughfare O'Connell Street, it is one of Ireland's most famous buildings and was the last of the great georgian architecture public buildings to be erected in the...
 in Dublin
Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
. The Rising became (as expected by many) a military disaster. While some celebrated the fact that a rising had happened at all, believing in Pearse's theory of "blood sacrifice" (namely that the deaths of the Rising's leaders would inspire others), Collins railed against what he perceived as its ham-fisted amateurism, notably the seizure of indefensible and very vulnerable positions such as St Stephen's Green that were impossible to escape from and difficult to supply. (During the War of Independence
Irish War of Independence

The Irish War of Independence from January 1919 to July 1921 was a guerrilla warfare mounted against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army ....
 he ensured the avoidance of such sitting targets, with his soldiers operating as "flying columns" who waged a guerrilla war
Guerrilla warfare

Guerrilla warfare is the Irregular warfare warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile Military tactics to combat a larger and less mobile formal army....
 against the British, suddenly attacking then just as quickly withdrawing, minimising losses and maximising effectiveness.)

Collins, like many of the other participants, was arrested, almost executed and wound up at Frongoch internment camp
Frongoch internment camp

Frongoch internment camp at Frongoch in Merionethshire, Wales was a makeshift place of imprisonment during the First World War. Until 1916 it housed German prisoners of war in an abandoned distillery and crude huts, but in the wake of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, Ireland, the German prisoners were moved and it was used as a place of int...
. There, as his contemporaries expected, his leadership skills showed. By the time of the general release, Collins had already become one of the leading figures in the post-rising Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
, a small nationalist
Irish nationalism

Irish nationalism comprises political and social movements and sentiment inspired by a love for Culture of Ireland, Gaelic language and History of Ireland, and a sense of pride in Ireland and the Irish people....
 party which the British government and the Irish media
Mass media

Mass media is a term used to denote a section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a mainstream such as the population of a nation state....
 wrongly blamed for the Rising. It was quickly infiltrated
Entryism

Entryism is a political tactic by which an organisation or state encourages its members or agents to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits, or take over entirely....
 by survivors of the Rising, so as to capitalise on the "notoriety" the movement had gained through British attacks. By October 1917, through skill and ability, Collins had risen to become a member of the executive of Sinn Féin and director of organisation of the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers

The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalism. Its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland", in other words, the safeguarding of Irish Home Rule Bill....
; Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera

?amon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in 20th century Ireland. His political career spanned over half a century, from 1917 to 1973; he served multiple terms as head of government and head of state, and is credited with a leading role in the authorship of the present-day Constitution of Ireland....
 was president of both organisations.

First Dáil

Firstdail
Like all senior Sinn Féin members, Michael Collins was nominated in the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918

The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which women could vote....
 to elect Irish MPs to the British House of Commons in London. As was the case throughout much of Ireland (with many seats uncontested), Collins won for Sinn Féin, becoming MP
Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators....
 for Cork South
South Cork (UK Parliament constituency)

South Cork was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885-1922.Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 the area was part of the Cork County constituency....
. However, unlike their rivals in the Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party

The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party , replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom at Palace of Westminster within the United Kingdom of Great Brit...
, Sinn Féin MPs had announced that they would not take their seats in Westminster
Westminster

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross....
, but instead would set up an Irish Parliament
Parliament of Ireland

The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. It comprised two chambers: the Irish House of Commons and the Irish House of Lords....
 in Dublin
Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
.

That new parliament, called Dáil Éireann (meaning "Assembly of Ireland", see First Dáil
First Dáil

The First D?il was D?il ?ireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "D?il ?ireann"....
) met in the Mansion House, Dublin
Mansion House, Dublin

The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin and has been since 1715....
 in January 1919, although De Valera and leading Sinn Féin MPs had been arrested. Collins, tipped off by his network of spies, had warned his colleagues of the dangers of arrest; de Valera and others ignored the warnings, believing if the arrests happened they would constitute a propaganda
Propaganda

Propaganda is the dissemination of information aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people. As opposed to Objectivity providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience....
 coup. In de Valera's absence, Cathal Brugha
Cathal Brugha

Cathal Brugha was an Ireland revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence, and the Irish Civil War and was the first Ceann Comhairle of D?il ?ireann....
 was elected Príomh Aire (literally 'main minister', but often translated as "President of Dáil Éireann"), to be replaced by de Valera, when Collins helped him escape from Lincoln Prison
Lincoln (HM Prison)

HM Prison Lincoln is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom men's prison, located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service....
 in April 1919.

In 1919, Collins had a number of roles. That summer he was elected president of the IRB (and therefore, in the doctrine of that organisation, de jure President of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic

The Irish Republic was a Declaration of independence independent state of Ireland proclaimed in the Easter Rising in 1916 and established in 1919 by First D?il....
). In September he was made Director of Intelligence
Espionage

Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secrecy or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information....
 of the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army

The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation descended from the Irish Volunteers, established 25 November 1913 and who in April 1916 staged the Easter Rising....
, as the Volunteers had come to be known (the organisation's claim to be the army of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic

The Irish Republic was a Declaration of independence independent state of Ireland proclaimed in the Easter Rising in 1916 and established in 1919 by First D?il....
 was ratified in January 1919). The Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence

The Irish War of Independence from January 1919 to July 1921 was a guerrilla warfare mounted against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army ....
 in effect began on the same day that the First Dáil met on 21 January 1919, when an ambush party of IRA volunteers acting without orders and led by Seán Treacy
Seán Treacy (Irish Republican)

Sean Treacy was one of the leaders of the Third Tipperary Brigade of the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence. He helped to start the conflict in 1919 and was killed in a shoot out with British troops in Talbot Street, Dublin during an aborted British Secret Service surveillance operation in October 1920....
, attacked a group of Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary

The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital....
 men who were escorting a consignment of gelignite
Gelignite

Gelignite, also known as blasting gelatin, is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton dissolved in nitroglycerine and mixed with wood pulp and sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate....
 to a quarry in Soloheadbeg
Soloheadbeg

Soloheadbeg is a small townland, some two miles outside Tipperary Town, near Limerick Junction railway station.The place is steeped in Irish history, for it was here that King Mahon of Thomond and his brother Brian Bor? defeated the vikings at the Battle of Solohead in 968....
, County Tipperary
County Tipperary

County Tipperary is a county in Republic of Ireland situated in the province of Munster. Tipperary was one of the first Irish counties to be established in the 13th century....
. Two policemen were shot dead during the engagement and the ambush is considered to be the first action taken in the Irish War of Independence.

Minister for Finance

In 1919, the already busy Collins received yet another responsibility when de Valera appointed him to the Aireacht
Aireacht

The Aireacht or Ministry was the cabinet of the 1919?1922 Irish Republic. The Ministry was originally established by the D?il Constitution adopted by the First D?il in 1919, after it issued the Declaration of Independence ....
 (ministry) as Minister for Finance.

Understandably, in the circumstances of a brutal war, in which ministers were liable to be arrested or killed by the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary

The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital....
, the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
, the Black and Tans
Black and Tans

The term Black and Tans refers to the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force , which was one of two paramilitary forces employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary from 1920 to 1921, to suppress revolution in Ireland....
 or the Auxiliaries
Auxiliary Division

The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary , generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary organization within the RIC during the Irish War of Independence....
 at a moment's notice, most of the ministries existed only on paper, or as one or two people working in a room of a private house.

This was not the case with Collins, however, who produced a Finance Ministry that was able to organise a large bond issue in the form of a "National Loan" to fund the new Irish Republic. The Russian Republic, in the midst of its own civil war, ordered Ludwig Martens
Ludwig Martens

Ludwig Christian Alexander Karl Martens was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet Union politician and engineer....
, head of the Soviet Bureau
Soviet Bureau

The Soviet Bureau also known as Martens Bureau was an unofficial organization established by Soviet Russia, based in the USA, during the Russian Civil War....
 in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, to acquire a "national loan" from the Irish Republic through Harry Boland
Harry Boland

Harry Boland was an Ireland nationalist of the early Twentieth century....
, offering some of the Russian Crown Jewels as collateral
Collateral (finance)

In loan agreement, collateral is a Borrower Pledge of specific property to a lender, to Secured loan repayment of a loan. The collateral serves as protection for a lender against a borrower's risk of default - that is, any borrower failing to pay the principal sum and interest under the terms of a loan obligation....
 (the jewels remained in a Dublin safe, forgotten by all sides, until the 1930s, when they were found by chance).

In retrospect, the sheer scale of Collins' workload and his achievements are substantial. He created a special assassination
Assassination

Assassination is the targeted killing of a public figure. Assassinations may be prompted by ideology, politics, or military reasons. Additionally, assassins may be motivated by contract killing, revenge, or celebrity or may be mental disorder....
 squad called The Twelve Apostles designed to kill British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 agents; arranged the "National Loan"; organised the IRA; effectively led the government when de Valera travelled to and remained in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 for an extended period of time; and managed an arms-smuggling operation.

Collins and Richard Mulcahy
Richard Mulcahy

Richard James Mulcahy was an Politics of the Republic of Ireland, army general and commander in chief, leader of Fine Gael and Cabinet Minister....
 were the two principal organisers for the Irish Republican Army, insofar as it was possible to direct the actions of scattered and heavily localised guerrilla units. Collins is often credited with organising the IRA's guerrilla "flying columns" during the War of Independence, although to suggest Collins organised this single handedly would be false. He had a prominent part in the formation of the flying columns but the main organiser would have been Dick McKee
Dick McKee

Richard ?Dick? McKee was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army . He was also friend to some senior members in the Republican movement, including ?amon de Valera, Austin Stack and Michael Collins ....
, later executed by the British in retaliation for Bloody Sunday (1920)
Bloody Sunday (1920)

Bloody Sunday was a day of violence on 21 November 1920 in Dublin, during the Irish War of Independence , which led to the deaths of more than 30 people....
. In addition, a great deal of IRA activity was carried out on the initiative of local leaders, with tactics and overall strategy developed by Collins or Mulcahy.

In 1920, the British offered a bounty of £10,000 (equivalent to £290,000 pounds in 2005) for information leading to the capture or death of Michael Collins. His fame had so transcended the IRA movement that he was nicknamed "The Big Fellow". Irish author Frank O'Connor
Frank O'Connor

Frank O?Connor was an Irish author of over 150 works, who was best known for his short story and memoirs....
, who participated in the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independence from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
, gave a different account of the nickname. He said that it began as an ironic, even scornful, reference to Collins' efforts to be taken seriously by others, seen as bordering on self-importance

Among national leaders, he made enemies of two particular people: Cathal Brugha
Cathal Brugha

Cathal Brugha was an Ireland revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence, and the Irish Civil War and was the first Ceann Comhairle of D?il ?ireann....
, the Minister for Defence who was overshadowed by his cabinet colleague in military matters (Collins held the cabinet post of Minister for Finance. His military position was that of Director of Intelligence in the army, a subordinate position to that of Brugha's as Minister for Defence), and de Valera, President of Dáil Éireann.

Following the truce in July 1921, arrangements were made for a conference between the British government and the leaders of the as yet unrecognised Irish Republic. Other than the Soviet Union
Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
, not a single other state
State

A state is a political Social contract with effective sovereignty over a geographic area and representing a population. These may be nation states, State or multinational states....
 gave diplomatic recognition to the 1919 republic, despite sustained lobbying in Washington by de Valera and prominent Irish-Americans, as well as at the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference by Seán T. O'Kelly
Sean T. O'Kelly

Se?n Thomas O'Kelly was the second President of Ireland . He was a member of D?il ?ireann from 1918 until his election as President. During this time he served as Minister for Local Government and Minister for Finance ....
.

In a move that astonished observers, de Valera — who in August 1921 had made the Dáil upgrade his office from Prime Minister to President of the Republic
President of the Irish Republic

President of the Republic was the title given to the head of the Irish ministry or Aireacht in August 1921 by an amendment to the D?il Constitution, which replaced the previous title, President of D?il ?ireann or President of D?il ?ireann....
, which ostensibly made him equivalent to King George V
George V of the United Kingdom

George V was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha....
 in the negotiations — announced that as the King would not attend, then neither would he.

Instead, with the reluctant agreement of his cabinet, de Valera nominated a team of delegates headed by Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith

Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn F?in. He served as President of D?il ?ireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921....
, with Michael Collins as his deputy. With heavy misgivings, believing de Valera should head the delegation, Collins agreed to go to London.

Anglo-Irish Treaty

The majority of the Irish Treaty delegates including Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith

Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn F?in. He served as President of D?il ?ireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921....
 (leader), Robert Barton
Robert Barton

Robert Childers Barton...
 and Eamonn Duggan
Eamonn Duggan

Eamonn S. Duggan was an Ireland lawyer, nationalist and politician.Born in Longwood, County Meath, County Meath, Duggan's father was a Royal Irish Constabulary officer from County Armagh serving in the village, his mother a local woman by the name of Dunne....
 (with Robert Erskine Childers
Robert Erskine Childers

Robert Erskine Childers Distinguished Service Cross , universally known as Erskine Childers, was the author of the influential novel Riddle of the Sands and an Irish nationalist, who was executed by the authorities of the nascent Irish Free State during the Irish Civil War....
 as Secretary General to the delegation) set up headquarters at 22 Hans Place
Hans Place

Hans Place, London SW1, England, is a prime residential garden square situated immediately south of Harrods in Knightsbridge.Hans Place dates from the 1770s, when the architect Henry Holland leased from Earl Cadogan and funded the building of his house by laying out a square which he sub-let in building plots....
 in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge

Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of Central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, London, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea....
 on 11 October 1921 and resided there until conclusion of the negotiations in December. Collins took up separate quarters at 15 Cadogan Gardens. His personal staff included Liam Tobin
Liam Tobin

Major General Liam Tobin was an officer in the Irish Army. Previously he had been an intelligence gatherer for Michael Collins ' The Squad ....
, Ned Broy
Eamon Broy

Colonel Eamon Broy was successively a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the Irish Republican Army, the Irish Army, and the Garda S?och?na of the Irish Free State....
 and Joe McGrath
Joseph McGrath (politician)

Joseph McGrath was an Ireland politician. He was a Sinn F?in and later a Cumann na nGaedhael Teachta D?la for various constituencies in Dublin and County Mayo and developed widespread business interests....
. Collins himself protested his appointment as envoy plenipotentiary, as he was not a statesman and his revelation to the British (he had previously kept his public presence to a minimum) would reduce his effectiveness as a guerilla leader should hostilities resume. Collins knew that the treaty, and in particular the issue of partition, would not be well received in Ireland. Upon signing the treaty, he remarked I have signed my own death warrant.

The negotiations ultimately resulted in the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty

The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the de facto Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence....
 which was signed on 6 December 1921, which envisaged a new Irish state, to be named the "Irish Free State
Irish Free State

The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand....
" (a literal translation from the Irish language
Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....
 term Saorstát Éireann, which appeared on the letterhead de Valera used, though de Valera had translated it less literally as the Irish Republic. The Irish Free State was established in December 1922.

The treaty provided for a possible all-Ireland state, subject to the right of a six-county region
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
 in the northeast to opt out of the Free State (which it immediately did). If this happened, an Irish Boundary Commission was to be established to redraw the Irish border
Border

Borders define geography boundaries of political geography or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, states or Subnational entity. They may foster the setting up of buffer zones....
, which Collins expected would so reduce the size of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
 as to make it economically unviable, thus enabling unity, as most of the unionist population was concentrated in a relatively small area in eastern Ulster
Ulster

Ulster is one of the four Provinces of Ireland of Ireland, in addition to Connacht, Munster and Leinster. The name is sometimes informally used as a synonym for Northern Ireland, one of the countries of the United Kingdom, although Northern Ireland covers only two thirds of Ulster....
.

The new state was to be a Dominion
Dominion

A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomy polity that were nominally under United Kingdom sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations, from the late 19th century....
, with a bicameral parliament
Bicameralism

In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
, executive authority vested in the king but exercised by an Irish government elected by a lower house
Lower house

A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its theoretical position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power....
 called Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann

is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the Single Transferable Vote ....
 (translated this time as "Chamber of Deputies"), an independent courts system, and a form of independence
Independence

Independence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty....
 that far exceeded anything sought by Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell

Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish people Church of Ireland landowner, Irish Nationalism politician, Irish Land League agitator, Irish Home Rule bills Member of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party....
 or the subsequent Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party

The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party , replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom at Palace of Westminster within the United Kingdom of Great Brit...
.

Republican purists saw it as a sell-out, with the replacement of the republic by dominion status within the British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
, and an Oath of Allegiance
Oath of Allegiance (Ireland)

The Irish Oath of Allegiance was a controversial provision in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which Irish Teachta D?la and Senators were required to take, in order to take their seats in D?il ?ireann and Seanad ?ireann ....
 made (it was then claimed) directly to the King. The actual wording shows that the oath was made to the Irish Free State, with a subsidiary oath of fidelity to the King as part of the Treaty settlement, not to the king unilaterally.

Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin

Sinn F?in is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn F?in party formed in 1905....
 split over the treaty, and the Dáil debated the matter bitterly for ten days until it was approved by a vote of 64 to 57. In the process Cathal Brugha
Cathal Brugha

Cathal Brugha was an Ireland revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence, and the Irish Civil War and was the first Ceann Comhairle of D?il ?ireann....
 remarked that Collins was not a senior military man and yet the newspapers were describing him as "the man who won the war". The reality was, however, that Collins was the man most responsible for the IRA's war effort during the Anglo-Irish war. De Valera joined the anti-treaty faction opposing the perceived concessions. His [de Valera's] opponents charged that he had prior knowledge that the crown would have to feature in whatever form of settlement was agreed. His bitterest opponents even accused de Valera of "chickening out" of leading the delegation, in the knowledge that a republic could not possibly result from the negotiations in the short-term.

Provisional Government

The Treaty was hugely controversial in Ireland. First, Éamon de Valera, President of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic

The Irish Republic was a Declaration of independence independent state of Ireland proclaimed in the Easter Rising in 1916 and established in 1919 by First D?il....
 until 9 January, had been unhappy that Collins had signed any deal without his and his cabinet's authorisation. Second, the contents of the Treaty were bitterly disputed. De Valera and many other members of the republican movement objected to Ireland's status as a dominion of the British Empire and to the symbolism of having to take an oath to the British king to this effect. Also controversial was the British retention of Treaty Ports
Treaty Ports (Ireland)

At the end of the Irish War of Independence three deep water Treaty Ports at Lough Swilly, Berehaven, and Queenstown were retained by the United Kingdom as UK sovereign base under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6 1921....
 on the south coast of Ireland for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
. Both of these things threatened to give Britain control over Ireland's foreign policy. Almost half the TDs in the Dáil opposed the Treaty, which was narrowly passed on 7 January 1922, by 64 votes to 57. More seriously, most of the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army

The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation descended from the Irish Volunteers, established 25 November 1913 and who in April 1916 staged the Easter Rising....
 opposed the Treaty, opening the prospect of civil war.

Under the Dáil Constitution
Dáil Constitution

The Constitution of D?il ?ireann was the constitution of the 1919?22 Irish Republic. It was adopted by the First D?il at its first meeting on 21 January 1919 and theoretically remained in force for four years....
 adopted in 1919, Dáil Éireann continued to exist. De Valera resigned the presidency and sought re-election (in an effort to destroy the newly approved Treaty), but Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith

Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn F?in. He served as President of D?il ?ireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921....
 replaced him after the close vote on 9 January. (Griffith called himself "President of Dáil Éireann" rather than de Valera's more exalted "President of the Republic".) However, this government, or Aireacht, had no legal status in British constitutional law
Constitutional law

Constitutional law is the study of foundational or basic laws of nation states and other political organizations.Constitutions are the framework for government and may limit or define the authority and procedure of political bodies to execute new laws and regulations....
, so another co-existent government emerged, nominally answerable to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland.

The new Provisional Government (Rialtas Sealadach na hÉireann) was formed under Collins, who became "President of the Provisional Government" (i.e., Prime Minister
Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of Cabinet in the Executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician....
). He also remained Minister for Finance of Griffith's republican administration. An example of the complexities involved can be seen even in the manner of his installation:
  • In British legal theory he was a Crown-appointed prime minister, installed under the Royal Prerogative
    Royal Prerogative

    The Royal Prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognised in common law and, sometimes, in Civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the Sovereign alone....
    . To be so installed, he had to formally meet the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
    Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

    The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland , also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy of Ireland as late as the 17th century, was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ....
    , Viscount Fitzalan
    Edmund FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent

    Edmund Bernard FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent, Knight of the Garter, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, , was a United Kingdom Conservative Party politician and the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland....
     (the head of the British administration in Ireland).
  • According to the republican view, Collins met Fitzalan to accept the surrender of Dublin Castle
    Dublin Castle

    Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, is a major Republic of Ireland governmental complex, formerly the fortified seat of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland rule in Ireland until 1922....
    , the seat of British government in Ireland. Having surrendered, Fitzalan still remained in place as viceroy until December 1922.
  • According to British constitutional theory, he met Fitzalan to "kiss hands" (the formal name for the installation of a minister of the Crown
    Minister of the Crown

    Minister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a Minister to the reigning sovereign. The term indicates that the minister serves in theory At Her Majesty's Pleasure, and advises the monarch, or viceroy, on how to exercise the Crown prerogatives relative to the minister's department or...
    ), the fact of their meeting rather than the signing of any documents, duly installing him in office. Kissing hands was the only mechanism of transfer then, as the relevant British legislation only passed into law on 1 April 1922.


In his biography of Michael Collins, Tim Pat Coogan recounted that, when Lord Lieutenant FitzAlan remarked that Collins had arrived seven minutes late for the 16 January 1922 ceremony, Collins replied, "We've been waiting over seven hundred years, you can have the extra seven minutes". The same tale was repeated when Richard Mulcahy
Richard Mulcahy

Richard James Mulcahy was an Politics of the Republic of Ireland, army general and commander in chief, leader of Fine Gael and Cabinet Minister....
 took over Beggars' Bush Barracks
Beggars Bush (Dublin)

Beggars Bush is the name of a former barracks on Haddington Road in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, as well the surrounding area and a nearby pub....
, and may be apocryphal.

Curiously, in hindsight, the partition of Ireland between the Irish Free State
Irish Free State

The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand....
 and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
 was not as controversial. One of the main reasons for this was that Collins was secretly planning to launch a clandestine guerrilla war against the Northern State. Throughout the early months of 1922, he had been sending IRA units to the border and sending arms and money to the northern units of the IRA. In May-June 1922, he and IRA Chief of Staff Liam Lynch
Liam Lynch (general)

Liam Lynch was an officer in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and the commanding general of the Irish Republican Army during the Irish Civil War....
 organised an offensive of both pro- and anti-treaty IRA units along the new border. British arms supplied to Collins' Provisional government were instead swapped with the weapons of IRA units, which were sent to the north. This offensive was officially called off under British pressure on 3 June and Collins issued a statement that "no troops from the 26 counties, either those under official control [pro-treaty] or those attached to the [IRA] Executive [anti-treaty] should be permitted to invade the six county area." However, low level IRA attacks on the border continued. Such activity was interrupted by the outbreak of civil war in the south, but had Collins lived, there is every chance he would have launched a full-scale guerrilla offensive against Northern Ireland. Because of this, most northern IRA units supported Collins and 524 of them came south to join the National Army in the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independence from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
.

In the months leading up to the outbreak of civil war in June 1922, Collins tried desperately to heal the rift in the nationalist movement and prevent civil war. De Valera, having opposed the Treaty in the Dáil, withdrew from the assembly with his supporters. Collins secured a compromise, the "Pact", whereby the two factions of Sinn Féin, pro- and anti-Treaty, would fight the soon-to-be Free State's first election jointly and form a coalition government afterwards.

Collins proposed that the envisaged Free State would have a republican constitution, with no mention of the British king, without repudiating the Treaty, a compromise acceptable to all but the most intransigent republicans. To foster military unity, he established an "army re-unification committee" with delegates from pro- and anti-Treaty factions. He also made efforts to use the secret Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood

The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic Republic" in the mid nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
 of which he was president, to get IRA officers to accept the Treaty. However, the British vetoed the proposed republican constitution under the threat of an economic blockade, arguing they had signed and ratified the Treaty in good faith and its terms could not be changed so quickly. By this stage most British forces had been withdrawn from the Free State but thousands remained. Collins was therefore unable to reconcile the anti-Treaty side, whose Army Executive had anyway decided in March 1922 that it had never been subordinate to the Dáil.

Civil War

On 14 April 1922, a group of 200 anti-Treaty IRA men occupied the Four Courts
Four Courts

The Four Courts in Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's main courts building. The Four Courts are the location of the Supreme Court , High Court , Central Criminal Court and Dublin Circuit Court....
 in Dublin in defiance of the Provisional government. Collins, who wanted to avoid civil war at all costs, did not attack them until June 1922, needing to know the result of the general election
Irish general election, 1922

The Irish general election of 1922 took place in Southern Ireland on 16 June 1922, under the provisions of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to elect a constituent assembly paving the way for the formal establishment of the Irish Free State....
 which proved favourable to his party. British pressure also forced his hand. On 22 June 1922, Sir Henry Wilson, a retired British Army field marshal
Field Marshal

Field marshal is a military officer rank. Today it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general....
 now serving as Military Advisor to the Craig Administration
James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon

James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon, Baronet, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council was a prominent Unionists politician, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland....
, was shot dead by two IRA men in Belgravia
Belgravia

Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster, situated to the south-west of Buckingham Palace. Belgravia is approximately bounded by Knightsbridge to the north , Grosvenor Place and Buckingham Palace Road to the east, Pimlico Road to the south, and Sloane Street to the west....
, London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
. At the time, it was presumed that the anti-Treaty faction of the IRA were responsible and Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
 told Collins that unless he moved against the Four Courts garrison, he (Churchill) would use British troops to do so.

In fact, it has since been said that Collins himself ordered the killing of Wilson in reprisal for failing to prevent the attacks on Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
. Joe Dolan — a member of Collins' "Squad" or assassination unit in the War of Independence and in 1922 a captain in the National Army — said this in the 1950s, along with the statement that Collins had ordered him to try to rescue the two gunmen before they were executed. In any event, this forced Collins to take action against the Four Courts men and the final provocation came when they kidnapped J.J. O'Connell, a provisional government general. After a final attempt to persuade the men to leave, Collins borrowed two 18 pounder artillery pieces from the British and bombarded the Four Courts until its garrison surrendered.

This led to the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independence from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
 as fighting broke out in Dublin between the anti-Treaty IRA and the provisional government's troops. Under Collins' supervision, the Free State rapidly took control of the capital. In July 1922, anti-Treaty forces held the southern province of Munster and several other areas of the country. De Valera and the other anti-Treaty TDs sided with the anti-Treaty IRA. By mid-1922, Collins in effect laid down his responsibilities as Chairman of the Provisional Government to become Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief

A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function....
 of the National Army
Irish Army

The Irish Army is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces . It was first formed in 1922 after the implementation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the subsequent foundation of the Irish Free State....
, a formal, structured, uniformed army that formed around the nucleus of the pro-Treaty IRA. The Free State Army that was armed and funded by the British was rapidly expanded with Irish veterans of the British Army and young men unassociated with the Volunteers during the war to fight the civil war. Collins, along with Richard Mulcahy
Richard Mulcahy

Richard James Mulcahy was an Politics of the Republic of Ireland, army general and commander in chief, leader of Fine Gael and Cabinet Minister....
 and Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy

Eoin O'Duffy , was in succession a Teachta D?la , the List of IRA Chiefs of Staff of the Irish Republican Army, the second Commissioner of the Garda S?och?na, leader of the Army Comrades Association and then the first leader of Fine Gael , before leading the Irish Brigade to fight for Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War....
 decided on a series of seaborne landings
Irish Free State offensive

The Irish Free State offensive of July?September 1922 was the decisive military stroke of the Irish Civil War. It was carried out by the Irish Army of the newly created Irish Free State against Irish Republican Army strongholds of in the south and west of Ireland....
 into republican held areas that re-took Munster and the west in July-August 1922. As part of this offensive, Collins travelled to his native Cork, against the advice of his companions, and despite suffering from stomach ache and depression. Collins reputedly told his comrades that "They wouldn't shoot me in my own county." It has been questioned why Collins put himself in such danger by visiting the south of the country while much of it was still held by hostile forces. What historian Michael Hopkinson describes as 'plentiful oral evidence' suggests that Collins' purpose was to meet Republican leaders in order to bring the war to an end. In Cork city, he met with neutral IRA men Sean Hegarty and Florrie O'Donoghue, with a view to contacting Anti-Treaty IRA leaders Tom Barry
Tom Barry

Thomas Barry was one of the most prominent guerrilla warfare leaderships in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence....
 and Tom Hales
Tom Hales

Thomas "Tom" Hales was an Irish Republican Army volunteer from West Cork. He was a friend of Michael Collins .Born at Knocknacurra, Ballinadee, near Bandon, County Cork on a family farm owned by his father Robert who was an activist in the Land War and a reputed member of the Fenian Brotherhood....
 to propose a truce. Hopkinson asserts though that, although Éamon de Valera was in west Cork at the time, 'there is no evidence that there was any prospect of a meeting between de Valera and Collins'.

Collins' personal diary outlined his plan for peace. Republicans must 'accept the People's Verdict' on the Treaty, but could then 'go home without their arms. We don't ask for any surrender of their principles'. He argued that the Provisional Government was upholding 'the people's rights' and would continue to do so. 'We want to avoid any possible unnecessary destruction and loss of life. We do not want to mitigate their weakness by resolute action beyond what is required'. But if Republicans did not accept his terms, 'further blood is on their shoulders'.

Death

Collinsfuneral
Kkiernan
The last known photograph of Collins alive was taken as he made his way through Bandon, County Cork
Bandon, County Cork

Bandon is a town in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. With a population of 5,161 as of census 2002, Bandon lies on the River Bandon between two hills....
 in the back of an army vehicle. He is pictured outside White's Hotel (now Munster Arms) on 22 August 1922.

On the road to Bandon
Bandon, County Cork

Bandon is a town in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. With a population of 5,161 as of census 2002, Bandon lies on the River Bandon between two hills....
, at the village of Béal na mBláth
Béal na mBláth

B?al na mBl?th , often incorrectly spelled B?al na Bl?th is a tiny village in West Cork, Munster, Republic of Ireland which is best known for being the location of the shooting of Michael Collins on 22 August 1922 during the Irish Civil War....
 (Irish
Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....
, "the Mouth of Flowers"), Collins' column stopped to ask directions. However the man whom they asked, Dinny Long, was also a member of the local Anti-Treaty IRA. An ambush was then prepared for the convoy when it made its return journey back to Cork city. They knew Collins would return by the same route as the two other roads from Bandon to Cork had been rendered impassable by Republicans. The ambush party, allegedly commanded by Liam Deasy
Liam Deasy

Liam Deasy was an Irish Republican Army officer in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War of the 1920s.Deasy was born in Bandon in county Cork in 1898....
, had mostly dispersed to a nearby pub by 8:00 p.m., when Collins and his men returned to Béal na mBlath but the remaining five ambushers on the scene opened fire on Collins' convoy. The ambushers had laid a mine on the scene, which could have killed many more people in Collins' party, however they had disconnected it by the time the firing broke out.

Collins was killed in the subsequent gun battle, which lasted approximately 20 minutes, from 8:00 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. He was the only fatality in the action. He had ordered his convoy to stop and return fire, instead of choosing the safer option of driving on in his touring car
Touring car

A touring car was a popular car body style in the early 20th century, being a larger alternative to the runabout and the roadster. They were open cars, often fitted with convertible tops....
 or transferring to the safety of the accompanying armoured car
Armored car (VIP)

Civilian armored cars are either factory produced, such as the Audi A6 and Audi A8, Lincoln Town Car BPS, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, or retrofitted versions of series cars....
, as his companion, Emmet Dalton, had wished. He was killed while exchanging rifle fire with the ambushers. Under the cover of the armoured car, Collins' body was loaded into the touring car and driven back to Cork. Collins was 31 years old when he died. At the time of his death, Collins was engaged to Kitty Kiernan
Kitty Kiernan

Catherine Brigid Kiernan was an Ireland woman best known as the fianc?e of assassination Irish revolutionary leader and Chairman of the Provisional Government Michael Collins ....
.

There is no consensus as to who fired the fatal shot. The most recent authoritative account suggests that the shot was fired by Denis ("Sonny") O'Neill, an Anti-Treaty IRA fighter and a former British Army marksman who died in 1950. This is supported by eyewitness accounts of the participants in the ambush. O'Neill was using dum-dum
Dum-dum

In the field of firearms, an expanding bullet is a bullet designed to expand on impact, increasing in diameter to limit penetration and/or produce a larger diameter wound....
 ammunition, which disintegrates on impact and which left a gaping wound in Collins' skull. He dumped the remaining bullets afterwards for fear of reprisals by Free State troops. Collins' men brought his body back to Cork where it was then shipped to Dublin because it was feared the body might be stolen in an ambush if it were transported by road. His body lay in state
Lying in state

Lying in state is a term used to describe the tradition in which a coffin is placed on view to allow the public at large to pay their respects to the deceased....
 for three days in Dublin City Hall
City Hall, Dublin

The City Hall, Dublin , originally the Royal Exchange, is a civic building in Dublin, Ireland. It was built between 1769 and 1779 to the designs of architect Thomas Cooley and is a notable example of 18th century architecture in the city....
 where tens of thousands of mourners filed past his casket to pay their respects. His funeral mass took place at Dublin's Pro Cathedral where a number of foreign and Irish dignitaries were in attendance.

Collins' shooting has provoked many conspiracy theories in Ireland and even the identity and motives of the assassin are subject to debate. Some Republicans maintain that Collins was killed by a British 'plant'. Some Pro-Treaty accounts claim that Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera

?amon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in 20th century Ireland. His political career spanned over half a century, from 1917 to 1973; he served multiple terms as head of government and head of state, and is credited with a leading role in the authorship of the present-day Constitution of Ireland....
 ordered Collins' assassination. Others allege that he was killed by one of his own soldiers, Jock McPeak, who defected to the Republican side with an armoured car three months after the ambush. However, historian Meda Ryan, who researched the incident exhaustively, concluded that there was no real basis for such theories, 'Michael Collins was shot by a Republican, who said [on the night of the ambush], "I dropped one man"' Liam Deasy, who was in command of the ambush party, said, 'we all knew it was Sonny Neill's bullet'.

Films about Michael Collins

A fictionalised version of Collins' life is in the 1936 movie Beloved Enemy
Beloved Enemy

Beloved Enemy is a 1936 in film American drama film directed by H.C. Potter and starring Merle Oberon, Brian Aherne, and David Niven. It was loosely based on the life of Michael Collins ....
, starring David Niven
David Niven

James David Graham Niven was an English people Academy Award for Best Actor-winning actor probably best known for his roles as the punctuality-obsessed adventurer Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and the suave cat burglar Sir Charles Litton in The Pink Panther ....
 as a British Officer. Unlike the real Michael Collins, the fictionalised Collins "Dennis Riordan" (played by Brian Aherne
Brian Aherne

Brian Aherne was an Academy Award-nominated United Kingdom actor of both stage and screen, who found success in Hollywood....
) is shot and recovers.

A British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 documentary
Documentary film

Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and new media productions that can be either direct-to-video or made for a televis...
 by Kenneth Griffith
Kenneth Griffith

Kenneth Reginald Griffith was a Welsh people actor and documentary film-maker....
, Hang Up Your Brightest Colours
Hang Up Your Brightest Colours

Hang Up Your Brightest Colours is a 1973 in film film by Wales actor and filmmaker Kenneth Griffith, about the life and death of Irish Republican leader Michael Collins ....
 was made for ITV
ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....
 in 1973, but refused transmission. It was eventually screened by the BBC in Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
 in 1993 and across the United Kingdom the following year.

An Irish
Republic of Ireland

Ireland is an Island country in north-western Europe. The modern Sovereignty state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned by the British on 3 May 1921....
 documentary made by Colm Connolly for RTE Television
RTÉ Television

While Ireland had been one of the first countries in Europe to go into radio, it was a relative latecomer to television. The state operated on a shoestring budget for much of the time after its formation in 1922, and the Department of Finance would not approve of anything it deemed to be a 'luxury' that the people could do without; television fell...
 in 1989 called The Shadow of Béal na Bláth covered Collins' death.

A made for TV film, The Treaty
The Treaty

The Treaty is a 1991 Republic of Ireland historical film television film directed by Jonathan Lewis.The film is about the Anglo-Irish Treaty that Michael Collins bargained for with the British government in 1921....
, was produced in 1991 and starred Brendan Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson

Brendan Gleeson is a Golden Globe award-nominated Irish people actor who has starred in many high profile Irish, American and British films. His best-known movies include the Harry Potter , Kingdom of Heaven , Beowulf, Troy , Gangs of New York, 28 Days Later, In Bruges, Braveheart, The General and the ro...
 as Collins and Ian Bannen
Ian Bannen

Ian Bannen was a Scotland character actor and occasional leading man....
 as Lloyd George.

In 1996, Michael Collins became the subject of a film
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
 by director
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
 Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan

Neil Jordan is an Academy Award-winning Ireland filmmaker and novelist. He received the Academy Award for The Crying Game....
. Titled Michael Collins
Michael Collins (film)

Michael Collins is a List of Irish films#1990s List of historical drama films biographical film about Michael Collins , the Ireland patriotism and revolutionary who died in the Irish Civil War....
, Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson

William John "Liam" Neeson Order of the British Empire is an Irish people actor. He is well known for his roles as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and as Qui-Gon Jinn in George Lucas' Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and as the Voice acting of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia film series....
 plays the title role, and Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts

Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress and former fashion model. She became well known during the early 1990s after starring in the romantic comedy Pretty Woman opposite Richard Gere, which grossed $463 million worldwide....
 plays Collins' fiancée, Kitty Kiernan
Kitty Kiernan

Catherine Brigid Kiernan was an Ireland woman best known as the fianc?e of assassination Irish revolutionary leader and Chairman of the Provisional Government Michael Collins ....
. Brendan Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson

Brendan Gleeson is a Golden Globe award-nominated Irish people actor who has starred in many high profile Irish, American and British films. His best-known movies include the Harry Potter , Kingdom of Heaven , Beowulf, Troy , Gangs of New York, 28 Days Later, In Bruges, Braveheart, The General and the ro...
 played the role of Collins' aide Liam Tobin
Liam Tobin

Major General Liam Tobin was an officer in the Irish Army. Previously he had been an intelligence gatherer for Michael Collins ' The Squad ....
. A great grand-nephew of Michael Collins, Aengus O'Malley, played the role of a student in a scene filmed in Marsh's Library. Although the film received praise for bringing the story of Michael Collins to a wide international audience, Irish historians criticised it for its lack of historical accuracy.

See also

  • The Big Fellow
    The Big Fellow

    The Big Fellow is a 1937 biography of the famed Irish people leader, Michael Collins , by Frank O'Connor.The Big Fellow covers the period of Collins's life from the Easter Rising in 1916 to his death during the Irish Civil War in 1922....
  • Kitty Kiernan
    Kitty Kiernan

    Catherine Brigid Kiernan was an Ireland woman best known as the fianc?e of assassination Irish revolutionary leader and Chairman of the Provisional Government Michael Collins ....
  • Hazel Lavery
    Hazel Lavery

    Hazel, Lady Lavery was an artist and the second wife of the celebrated portrait artist Sir John Lavery. She is most remembered for having her likeness appearing on Banknotes of the Republic of Ireland for much of the 20th century....
  • List of people on stamps of Ireland
    List of people on stamps of Ireland

    This is a list of people on the postage stamps of the Irish Free State between 1922 and 1937 and on the postage stamps ofRepublic of Ireland since 1937, including the years when they appeared on a stamp....
  • High Heroic by Constantine Fitzgibbon
    Constantine Fitzgibbon

    Robert Louis Constantine Lee-Dillon Fitzgibbon was a notable historian and novelist....
  • Families in the Oireachtas
    Families in the Oireachtas

    There is a tradition in Irish politics of having family members succeed each other, frequently in the same parliamentary seat. This article lists families where two or more members of that family have been members of either of the houses of the Oireachtas or of the European Parliament....


External links

  • (ElectionsIreland.org)


Further reading