Irish Civil War

Setting the scene

The Irish Civil War began on June 28, 1922, when Irish Free State forces shelled the Four Courts in Dublin, held by anti-Treaty IRA members who opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty had ended the Irish War of Independence but created the Irish Free State as a dominion within the British Empire, not a republic, and partitioned Ireland, leaving six northern counties in the UK. The treaty split Sinn Féin and the IRA into pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty factions.

What happened

The war lasted 11 months, pitting former comrades against each other. The pro-Treaty Free State, led by Michael Collins (until his assassination in August 1922) and W.T. Cosgrave, had British support and the advantage of legitimacy. The anti-Treaty IRA, led by Éamon de Valera, fought a guerrilla war. The Free State executed 77 anti-Treaty prisoners, more than the British had executed during the War of Independence. About 2,000 people died, including Collins.

Why it still matters

The Free State won by May 1923, when the IRA dumped arms. The civil war's bitterness shaped Irish politics for 70 years—Fianna Fáil (descended from anti-Treaty) and Fine Gael (pro-Treaty) dominated politics until recently. The war demonstrated the tragic consequences of compromise in nationalist movements and how the question of partition could divide a nation. The civil war's wounds took generations to heal, and the treaty's acceptance of partition created the Northern Ireland conflict that lasted until the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Background

The IRA split for generations.