What happened when Éamon de Valera toured America during the start of the War of Independence

Illustration showing the defeat of the White Army during the Russian Civil War. Image: Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Family resemblances: the Irish Civil War in context

A civil war is an imprecise thing, but the Irish Civil War wasn't the only conflict that could be described as such between 1918 and …

History • 26 Jan

Some of the sheet music of The Song of the Legion of the Rear-guard, composed in Hare Park Camp by internee Jack O'Sheehan. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Hidden away: the treatment of Civil War internees

During the Civil War, thousands of of anti-Treaty militants were interned by the Provisional Government without trial, in increasingly overcrowded camps and prisons. Anne-Marie McInerney …

History • 17 Jan

John O'Callaghan tells the story of the Battle of Kilmallock.

How a small Irish town became a Civil War battleground

In summer 1922 the Battle of Kilmallock saw a small market town become a battleground.

Conventional Phase • 19 Oct 22

Gavin Foster, filmed at the Irish Civil War National Conference at UCC in June 2022

Wall of Silence: Memory and the Civil War

History • 10 Sep 22

National Army soldiers rushing up their artillery during the Battle of Dublin. Photo courtesy of the OPW/KIlmainham Gaol Archive 20PO-1A34-23

Summer of war: how the Civil War played out over summer 1922

History • 01 Sep 22

The Conventional Phase

The Conventional Phase was the first part of the Irish Civil War, characterised by battles and sieges all over Ireland. Michael Collins became commander in …

Civil War • 20 Jul 22

Soldiers on board the SS Lady Wicklow watching land for snipers as they approach Passage West, Cork in August 1922. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

What was the Conventional Phase of the Civil War?

There were two phases to the Civil War. The first is known as the Conventional phase - and it was more dramatic than its name …

Conventional Phase • 11 Aug 22

A section of a handbill highlighting the Bishop of Clonfert's opposition to the anti-Treaty forces.

How did the Civil War impact civil society?

War raged in Ireland in 1922, but that doesn't mean life didn't go on. Bill Kissane tells how the civil institutions from the church to …

Conventional Phase • 20 Jul 22

Bullet holes and battlefields: archaeology of the Battle for Cork

Traces of the Civil War can be found in bullet holes that mark buildings and gateposts around Ireland But this period has been comparatively ignored …

Conventional Phase • 20 Jul 22

The town of Kilmallock today. 100 years ago it was a battleground.

Conventional warfare: the Battle of Kilmallock

After losing the battle for Limerick city, the anti-Treaty IRA retreated south. The market town of Kilmallock became a warzone. John O'Callaghan explains why it …

Conventional Phase • 20 Jul 22

Members of the public looking at the siege from the south quays

Under Siege: the Battle of the Four Courts

In summer 1922, anti-Treaty forces took control of the Four Courts. The National Army responded - and the Civil War began.

Battle of Dublin • 24 Jun 22

Two uniformed Cumann na mBan members stand guard over the body of Cathal Brugha in 1922. © RTÉ Photographic Archives

Soldiers of the Republic: Cumann na mBan and the Civil War

In 1922, the women of Cumann na mBan overwhelmingly rejected the Treaty - and played an active role in the subsequent Civil War, from the …

Battle of Dublin • 11 Jul 22

NAI, DE/9/6/1 (41-42): Select Constitutions of the World.
Draft manuscript cover page for publication

Practicalities of the future: the 1922 Constitution Committee

We might think the Irish constitution was created in 1937, but in 1922 a committee gathered to draft what would be the country's first constitution. …

History • 13 Jun 22