Question | Answer |
WAR OF INDEPENDENCE 1919-21 Hostilities between Dail and Volunteers Difficult to run effective campaign against Brits | IRA members felt that TDs were unskilled in military operations. TDs felt that IRA were undisciplined and lacked judgement to exploit British political weaknesses |
WAR BEGINS: PHASE ONE January 1919 - March 1920 Low Key Operations Soloheadbeg, 21 January Third Tipperary Brigade | -Ambush organised without consent or knowledge of the Dail or IRA command -British authorities saw this as terrorism -Irish republicans saw this as war between 2 countries |
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 RIC withdrawn. | RIC withdrawn & police stations closed. British now had to decide between talking to Sinn Fein and pursuing a hard-line military policy. |
PHASE 2, March-December 1920 Increasing Confrontation THE INTELLIGENCE WAR Collins & feared intelligence network - the Squad a.k.a. the 12 Apostles | RIC, lost 3000 but gained 9500. Auxiliary force known as Black and Tans brought in. Violent and ill-disciplined force. Republicans - flying columns. Help from the public. |
Early 1920, major violence! Tomas MacCurtain, Lord Mayor of Cork taken out by RIC and shot dead in front of family. | New Lord Mayor of Cork, Terence MacSwiney, arrested for association with Sinn Fein activities in August 1920. Died of hunger strike in late October after 74 days. Martyrdom. |
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. | Also killed 2 B&Ts and a Brit army officer. Brit Gov imposed a curfew. That day, B&Ts entered Croke Park during Dub-Tipp match. Fired into crowd. 12 dead, 60 injured. |
28 November, 1920 - West Cork Flying Column led by Tom Barry ambushed 18-man Auxiliary patrol in Kilmichael. 17 dead. | 10 December, 1920 - Government declared martial law. 11 Dec - Another IRA ambush. Dillon's Cross, Cork City. 1 Aux killed, 10 wounded. Auxs & Tans burned & looted city centre. |
PHASE 3, December 1920 - July 1921 Towards a Truce Return of de Valera Dec 1920 Many problems for Independence movement | 1921 - Sinn Fein, IRA & Dail under pressure. Griffith arrested. Brit intelligence interning IRA members. Members of Squad detected. Flying columns feeling the strain. Supplies running low. Men counting bullets. |
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. | Gov. of Ireland Act, 1920. Implemented partition. 2 parliaments, Dublin & Belfast. Oath of Allegiance. Council of Ireland. 42 Irish MPs. Control of defence, foreign pol, finance & right to intervene. |
1921 elections - Unionist majority in North, Sinn Fein landslide victory in South. Establishment of the Second Dail. (abstention) | TDs of 2nd Dail refused Oath of Allegiance. 28 June, only 4 Unionist MPs appear at opening of official Southern parliament. |
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. | 25 June, 21 - Lloyd George sent letter to deV 5 July - de V presented offer to Dail Truce came into effect on 11 July, 1921. |
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