Irish Civil War

• Gaelic League


  Established in 1993 to preserve the Gaelic language as Ireland's national language
• IRA irregulars


  Formed to fight for a Republic
• E. O'Malley, IRA officer, led 1,000 volunteers from War of Independence for "total expulsion" from the island
• Public opinion strongly supported the Irish government even at its most coercive as it was "Irish"
• The Dail ratified the treaty, de Valera was against it
• Opposition to the new government

  20% idealism, 20% crime and 60% Sheer futility
• The Irish Civil War was more influential and traumatic than the war of independence
• The Irish Civil War


  • Separated parties, interests and families
  • Created a rationale for political divisions
  • Separated the IRA between "irregulars" and "old RA"
  • Created issues of authority
• Michael Collins


  • An extremist until 1927 who rejected partition, but he accepted the Treaty, becoming a "pragmatist"
  • Drafted a new constitution that would be republican enough to reconcile with anti-treaty nationalists
• De Valera


  An ambivalent "idealist pragmatist" but rejected the treaty, went into hiding during the war and only returned in 1927
• The IRB Supreme Council was split 11-4 in favour of treaty
• IRA


  Divided with "old IRA" and "irregulars" who wanted a completely independent Republic
• Britain had a strong link with the Finn Gail who accepted a continued association with the British
• The Communist Party of Great Britain and the American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic both supported the anti-treaty forces and raised awareness about the fight for independence through the media
• The United States acted as an international arbiter, having sympathy for the Irish due to the huge Irish diaspora in the US, most American Irish supported the treaty
• Germany supported Sinn Fein during the Anglo-Irish war, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"
• By May 1922 all British police and military were gone from Ireland and the Irish Civil War began
• Spring 1922, the threat of social + military anarchy increased


  1. Late June 1922, the Free State Army stormed the four court making Dublin a central battleground

  2. Caused 77 executions and 1,000 imprisonments

  3. September 1922, W.T. Cosgrave became first Prime Minister of the Irish Free State

  4. October 1922, the anti-treaty leaders issued an order of Continuance declaring the anti-treaty forces as the legitimate government

  5. May 1923, the new chief of staff of anti-treaty IRA forces ordered an end of hostilities, the Irish Free State won the Civil War