Michael Collins: A Biography

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These republican victories would have been impossible without widespread support from the Irish population, which included every level of society and reached deep into the British administration in Ireland. Under Griffith's policy, Collins and other advocates of the "physical-force" approach to independence gained the cooperation of Sinn Féin, while agreeing to disagree with Griffith's moderate ideas of a dual monarchy solution based on the Hungarian model. Take for example Brugha’s petty jealousy over Collins’ being credited for collective work performed under Brugha’s ministry. I find his books easy to read, and they certainly help to understand the reasons for some of the most terrible atrocities of this period.

The lengthy time the convoy took to cover the twenty miles (32 km) back to Cork City was because many of the roads were blocked and the convoy had to travel across muddy fields and through farms to circumnavigate the obstacles, all in darkness. Northern Ireland, as it has been ever since, became the point of contention between the 2 factions and the book’s recounting of the Irish Civil War proves to be a very poignant read. He also prorogued the meeting of the Dail until the end of hostilities, a move that historians such as John Regan have seen as an unconstitutional concentration of power in Collins himself and his military colleagues. Coogan lets the official record of the Dail proceeding speak for itself to illustrate just how nasty the division had become at this point.But Collins was also prone to lapses in discipline, as when he arrived at Wormwood Scrubs prison in London in October 1921 to visit prisoners, drunk and boasting. page needed] They were supported by a vast intelligence network of men and women in all walks of life that reached deep into the British administration in Ireland. The still-secret Irish Republican Brotherhood continued to meet, fostering dialogue between pro- and anti-Treaty IRA officers.

Much of O'Connell Street suffered heavy damage; the Gresham Hotel was burned and the Four Courts reduced to a ruin. Born in Clonakilty, County Cork, in 1890, Collins joined Sinn Féin at age 18 and later took part in the 1916 Rising. Mackay takes us from Collins's birth in County Cork (his father was 75 when he was born) and shows how his childhood was influenced by the Fenianism of his father and uncles.By then most of the ambush party had dispersed and gone for the day, leaving just five or six men on the scene.

I have begun a study of Irish history in the 20th century, and have read Collins biography as part of this process.With Cathal Brugha as Minister of Defence, Collins became Director of Organisation and Adjutant General of the Volunteers. In a departure from his usual role, de Valera adamantly declined to attend, insisting instead that Collins should take his place there, along with Arthur Griffith. Numerous page needed] Griffith's organisation Sinn Féin had been founded in 1905 as an umbrella group to unify all the various factions within the nationalist movement. Collins and National Army GHQ secretly supplied weaponry and equipment for the offensive, and some British arms that had been supplied to the Provisional Government were passed on to the IRA.