An Introduction to the Irish Civil War

This book provides fresh insights into the causes, development, and enduring legacies of the Irish Civil War. Understand the divisions sparked by the Anglo-Treaty and the pursuit of complete Irish independence. Delve into the conduct on both sides, the bitter remnants left behind, and the role of key IRA figures who opposed the Treaty.

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During the Irish Civil War, events of late 1922 and early 1923 together with waves of ‘dishonourable’ killings created poisoned relations between Republicans and ‘Free Staters’ which would last for several generations. The most enduring of these controversies, a policy of summary executions carried out by the Provisional Government from November 1922, continues to surround the argument.


This book offers a fresh perspective on the causes, development and consequences of the Irish Civil War. Triggered by the signing of the Anglo-Treaty, there were those that would accept nothing less than complete Irish independence. Very few IRA commanders active in the field supported the Treaty and, as happens often in the dissection of civil wars, controversy over the conduct of both sides figures heavily within the text, where, at a local and national level, it left bitter legacies.


This book offers an overview of the war in all regions of Ireland.