Michael Collins, a principal architect of the frankly terrorist strategy of the Irish Republicans, and now Commander In Chief of the Irish Free State's army, was ambushed and gunned down at Béal na Bláth.
With the Irish Civil War seemingly winding down, the former guerilla leader, was touring the country inspecting regions which the Irish Free State had regained control of. His trip on this occasion, through IRA stronghold Cork, was advised against, but Collins, perhaps being fatalistic, and having survived numerous prior attempts on his life, went ahead anyway. Along the way his party stopped at Long's Pub and asked directions of a man standing at the crossroads who turned out to be an IRA sentry who recognized Collins. An ambush was set up for his return trip to Cork City.
When the ambush occurred, the Free State commander for the county ordered the convoy forward, but Collins, demonstrating a poor understanding of the proper tactics when ambushed, ordered the convoy stopped to fight the ambushers. Collins was supposedly killed in the engagement by Denis "Sonny" O'Neill, a former Britsh Army sniper, not without irony as O'Neill had obviously answered the United Kingdom's call when Collins had opposed it. Indeed, O'Neill had previously been a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary before the war.
There is some doubt, however, about this version of events, however, as O'Neill, while regarded as a fine shot, had been wounded in action in 1918 and made a prisoner of the Germans. He was unable to resume employment with the Constabulary due to his injuries and was regarded as disabled at the time. He was, however, granted a captain's military pension under DeValera's government in the 1940s.
Given all of this, and even at the time, conspiracy theories abound as to who actually killed Collins.
Whoever did, Collins' while widely admired, provides an example of living by the sword and dying by it. Collins, more than any other man, was the architect of modern terrorist warfare. He may have died a leader of a conventional army, but his most notable success was not as the leader of one.
Another view with more biographical details:
No comments:
Post a Comment