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

Christy McLynn, the Republican driver of the 'Ballinalee' armoured car during the Republican capture of Ballina. Photo reproduced by kind permission of Padraig Kilgannon.

Teenage soldiers and armoured cars: Civil War fatalities in Sligo

The average age of people killed in the Civil War in Sligo was just eighteen. Frank Fagan explains how the conflict affected the county.

Civil War Fatalities • 28 Mar 24

The post office in Ballingeary. Image courtest of Timothy Twomey.

Family Histories: the postmistress and the revolutionary

When a Cork village postmistress retired in 1919, her daughter Lizzie was the obvious choice of successor. But the authorities were dubious - because of Lizzie's husband's revolutionary activities.... Her grandson Timothy Twomey tells their story

History • 02 Nov 23

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 1923. John Horne explains what makes it "the worst kind of war" - and how the Irish civil war fit in the wider context

History • 26 Jan 23

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 tells their story

History • 17 Jan 23

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 chief of the National Army

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 suggests, as Helene O'Keeffe explains.

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 the GAA responded to the Civil War

Conventional Phase • 20 Jul 22

The "battlefield gate" in Moneygurney, the location of a doomed "last stand" made by some of the IRA defenders. Photo: Sara Nylund for the Landscapes of Revolution Project

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 by archaeological investigations - until now. Damian Shiels tells how the Battle for Cork left its mark

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 happened and how both sides engaged in the conflict

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 to assisting flying columns. Margaret Ward tells their story.

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. As the National Archives' collection of the Committee's papers reveals, it would be a difficult job.

History • 13 Jun 22

Civil War Ireland then and now: soldiers on Lee banks

In 1922, Ireland was a theatre of war. How have the locations changed since then?

History • 12 May 22

Attendees at the 1922 Dublin Horse Show. Photo: Getty Images

Class warfare: was there a social basis to the Civil War divide?

The victory of the pro-Treaty Free State has been viewed by some as a triumph of bourgeois Ireland over the "men of no property". But what does the Civil War really tell us about social fractures in the early 1920s? Gavin Foster explains.

History • 13 Jun 22

Civil War Ireland then and now: National Army on patrol

In 1922, Ireland was a theatre of war. How have the locations changed since then?

History • 14 Apr 22

A cartoon from the Freeman's Journal attacking de Valera. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Press, Propaganda and the Treaty split

In 1922, the Irish media overwhelmingly supported the Treaty. What effect did that have on the Civil War? Donal Ó Drisceoil explains.

History • 15 Jun 22

Civil War Ireland, then and now: Troops in Cork city

In 1922, Ireland was a theatre of war. How have the locations changed since then?

History • 20 Jul 22

Soldiers on the streets of Belleek in 1921

Northern Ireland 1921-1925: a state of emergency

The early years of Northern Ireland were marked by violence, fear and distrust. Robert Lynch tells the story of a troubled beginning

History • 21 Jun 21

The Great Irish Famine

Famine Ireland

After the Famine

The Lockout

From the RTÉ Archives: Irish memories of WW1

Gallipoli

The 1916 Rising

Overview

The 1918 General Election

The First Dáil

Soloheadbeg

De Valera in America

The Dáil Ban

Suppression of Cumann na mBan

Hunger Strikes

The Munitions Strike

The death of Terence MacSwiney

Bloody Sunday

Martial Law

The Burning of Cork

The Border

The burning of the Custom House

Northern Ireland's parliament opens

The Truce

The Treaty

Overview

Transfer of Power

IRA Convention

The Pact Election

The Battle of Dublin

The Conventional Phase

The Sea Landings

The death of Michael Collins

Guerrilla warfare

The Irish Free State

The arrest of Liam Deasy

The end of the Civil War

The Silent Civil War

The Irish Civil War Fatalities Project

Stardust

The Good Friday Agreement

Civil War

Teenage soldiers and armoured cars: Civil War fatalities in Sligo

Family Histories: the postmistress and the revolutionary

Family resemblances: the Irish Civil War in context

Hidden away: the treatment of Civil War internees

How a small Irish town became a Civil War battleground

Wall of Silence: Memory and the Civil War

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

The Conventional Phase

What was the Conventional Phase of the Civil War?

How did the Civil War impact civil society?

Bullet holes and battlefields: archaeology of the Battle for Cork

Conventional warfare: the Battle of Kilmallock

Under Siege: the Battle of the Four Courts

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

Practicalities of the future: the 1922 Constitution Committee

Civil War Ireland then and now: soldiers on Lee banks

Class warfare: was there a social basis to the Civil War divide?

Civil War Ireland then and now: National Army on patrol

Press, Propaganda and the Treaty split

Civil War Ireland, then and now: Troops in Cork city

Northern Ireland 1921-1925: a state of emergency

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