Irish War Of Independence

The Irish War of Independence was a guerilla war, in which the Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought with British government forces which resided in Ireland.

The IRA that took part in this conflict referred to themselves as the old IRA, to distinguish it from later organisations that used the same name. The conflict took place around the 21st of January 1919-11th of July 1921.

Since the 1880′s, Irish nationalists in the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) had been demanding Home Rule, or self-government, from Britain. Fringe organisations, such as Arthur Griffith’s Sinn Féin instead argued for some form of Irish independence, but they were in a small minority at this time.

The demand for Home Rule was eventually granted by the British Government in 1912, immediately prompting a prolonged crisis within the United Kingdom as Ulster Unionists formed an armed organisation,the Ulster Volunteers; to resist this measure of devolution. In turn, Nationalists formed their own military organisation, the Irish Volunteers.

The British Parliament passed the Third Home Rule Act with an amending Bill for the partition of Ireland introduced by Ulster Unionists, but the Act’s implementation was postponed by the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.

The majority of Nationalists followed their IPP leaders and John Redmond’s call to support Britain and the Allied war effort, the intention being to ensure the commencement of Home Rule after the war. But a significant minority of the Irish Volunteers opposed the war.

The Volunteer movement split, a majority leaving to form the National Volunteers under John Redmond. The remaining Irish Volunteers, under Eoin MacNeill, held that they would maintain their organisation until Home Rule had been granted. Within this Volunteer movement, another faction, led by the separatist Irish Republican Brotherhood, began to prepare for a revolt against British rule.

The plan to revolt against British Rule was realised in the Easter Rising of 1916 in which the Volunteers, now explicitly declaring a republic, launched an insurrection whose aim was to end British rule and to found an Irish Republic.

The Easter Rising was virtually confined to Dublin. Around 11:00 am on Easter Monday, the volunteers along with the Irish Citizen Army assembled at various prearranged meeting points in Dublin, and before noon set out to occupy a number of imposing buildings in the inner city area. These had been selected to command main routes into the Capital City of Dublin and before noon set out to occupy imposing buildings in the inner city area. These included the General Post Office, the Four Courts, Boland’s Bakery, the South Dublin Union, St. Stephen’s Green and later the College of Surgeons. The General Post Office was the Nerve Center of the rebellion and served as the rebel’s headquarters. It came as a surprise and British intelligence had failed hopelessly – the properties targeted were taken virtually without resistance and immediately the rebels set about making them defensible.

To Irish Republicans, the Irish War of Independence had begun with the Proclamation of the Irish Republic during the Easter Rising of 1916. Republicans argued that the conflict of 1919-21 (and indeed the subsequent Irish Civil War) was the defence of this Republic against attempts to destroy it. By the end of the Easter Rising which lasted from Easter Monday-Saturday, the British Army reported causalities of 116 dead, 368 wounded and 9 missing, 16 Policemen were killed and 29 were wounded. Irish Casualties were 318 dead and 2,217 wounded. The Volunteers and ICA recorded 64 killed in action, but otherwise Irish casualties were not divided into rebels and civilians.

After the Easter Rising in 1916 the Irish Volunteers were regrouped and became known as the Irish Republican Army (I.R.A.). Sinn Féin led by Arthur Griffith and Eamon De Valera controlled the I.R.A. After the General Election of 1918 Sinn Féin won 73 of the 105 seats but they refused to attend the House of Commons. They established their own parliament – Dáil Eireann.

In 1919 the British government banned Dáil Eireann and Sinn Féin.The War of Independence is said to have begun at an ambush at Soloheadbeg in Co. Tipperary in 1919. The war was mostly confined to the Munster area and Dublin. The republicans carried out ambushes with groups of men known as the ‘Flying Columns’. Auxiliary police forces were sent to Ireland known as the Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries. The Black and Tans had a bad reputation and were a largely undisciplined force.

The Government of Ireland Act was passed in 1920. This allowed for two parliaments, one was situated in Dublin and one situated in Belfast. Elections were held for the two parliaments in May 1921. The Sinn Féin candidates were elected unopposed in every constituency in the south and formed themselves into the Second Dáil.

Near the end of 1921 Lloyd George made a truce. Both sides agreed to stop movements of troops and to call off their spies and agents etc. A team from Dáil Eireann went to London in October 1921:Arthur Griffith, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Michael Collins, Minister for Finance; Robert Barton, Minister for Economic Affairs; E.J. Duggan and George Gavan Duffy, solicitors, Erskine Childers, John Chartres and Fionan Lynch acted as secretaries.

De Valera did not attend, possibly because he knew a compromise would have to be reached and he did not wish to be associated with it. The delegates reluctantly signed the Treaty on 6 December 1921.

De Valera resigned as President of the Dáil and was replaced by Arthur Griffith. In the early months of 1922 many local bodies such as County Councils and Urban District Councils passed resolutions supporting the Treaty. British troops were removed from southern Ireland in January 1922. The I.R.A. moved into the empty barracks throughout the country. The I.R.A. were splitting into Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty groups so it was felt that a Free State army would have to be established immediately. This army was officially set up on 31 January 1922.

By April 1922 the prospect of a civil war was likely. On 28 June the Free State army launched an attack on the Four Courts in Dublin (then being held by the IRA) which lasted for three days. The IRA leaders were eventually forced to surrender the building. This marked the beginning of the Civil War which spread throughout the country.

Attribute: Waterfordcountymuseum.org & Wikipedia.org