WAR OF INDEPENDENCE 1919-21
Hostilities between Dail and Volunteers
Difficult to run effective campaign against Brits

WAR BEGINS: PHASE ONE
January 1919 - March 1920
Low Key Operations
Soloheadbeg, 21 January
Third Tipperary Brigade

Between 1919 & early 1920, IRA killed 18 RIC officers while attempting to eliminate the force altogether.
April 1919, deValera encouraged public boycott of RIC. RIC withdrawn.

PHASE 2, March-December 1920
Increasing Confrontation
THE INTELLIGENCE WAR
Collins & feared intelligence network - the Squad a.k.a. the 12 Apostles

Early 1920, major violence!

Tomas MacCurtain, Lord Mayor of Cork taken out by RIC and shot dead in front of family.

BLOODY SUNDAY.
Collins planned execution of 11 Brit intelligence agents sent to assassinate Dail, Sinn Fein & IRA members. Squad killed them on 21 November, 1920.

28 November, 1920 - West Cork Flying Column led by Tom Barry ambushed 18-man Auxiliary patrol in Kilmichael. 17 dead.

PHASE 3, December 1920 - July 1921
Towards a Truce
Return of de Valera Dec 1920
Many problems for Independence movement

IRA carried out successful guerilla attacks. DeV unimpressed. Collins gave in and allowed attack on Customs House, Brit admin centre. 25 May 1921, IRA destroyed Customs House. Many IRA killed.

1921 elections - Unionist majority in North, Sinn Fein landslide victory in South. Establishment of the Second Dail. (abstention)

TRUCE TIME
Ireland - low on men, ammo, money, flying columns unable
Britain - bad rep (propaganda minister) w/B&Ts and Aux forces, couldn't afford war.