An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 13 the new National Army in the run-up to the Civil War. The men had been closely associated following their appoint- ments to the Volunteer executive in October 1917. Collins' role as Director of Intelligence was aided by Collins' central role in the Supreme Council of the secret society known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood (or the IRB). Mulcahy's son, Risteárd, interviewing his father for a later memoir, noted Mulcahy did not express resentment at Collins's larger reputation during the War of Independence even though in that conflict Mulcahy was supposed to be Collins' direct military superior. On this working relationship with Collins from 1919-21, Mulcahy recalled: "I opened and kept open for him all the doors and pathways he wanted to travel – our relations were always harmonious and frank and we didn't exchange unnecessary information. We knew what the other was at, and particularly in his domain on intelligence, I had no occasion to be questioning him." The initial staff for GHQ included Mulcahy as Chief-of- Staff, Collins was initially Director for Organisation and adjutant-general, Rory O'Connor as director of engineering and Dick McKee as director-of-training as well as succeed- ing Mulcahy as head of the Dublin Brigade. JJ O'Connell was assistant chief-of-staff, and Diarmuid O'Hegarty as Director of Organisation. (Over time additional roles were to be added to GHQ). While the Volunteer Executive would control general policy of the organisation, GHQ would direct military activities. GHQ would begin to hold frequent meetings, discussing military problems and encourage suggestions, and demand regular reports from each of the directors on the staff. GHQ envisioned an army on very traditional lines, divided into units, companies, battalions and brigades – structures that would be in place by the time of the outbreak of conflict in January 1919. As Chief- of-Staff, Mulcahy was to direct IRA military policy against British police and military to enforce the sovereignty of the independent Irish Re- public. As IRA Chief- of-Staff, Mulcahy was to stress GHQ policy in various communications to the IRA units across the country. Mulcahy had to also deal with requests for funds and arms from the IRA brigades through the conflict. (Worth noting in this period Mulcahy also sat as an elected deputy for Dublin Clontarf in Dáil Éireann). With the begin- ning conflict in 1919, GHQ engaged with IRA leaders and ordinary variety Volunteers through a variety of means. This level of engage- ment and communi- cation with the Vol- unteer body was to be important with the heightening of guerrilla warfare into 1920 and the beginning of the boycott and disruption of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The Volunteers, soon to be known as the Irish Republican Army, regarded themselves as the legitimate army of the Irish Republic proclaimed by Dáil Eireann. In terms of how IRA GHQ was to work with the Dáil cabinet, technically, they were sub-ordinate to the Minister of Defence, who of course was Cathal Brugha. Mulcahy, as Chief-of-Staff, would consistently argue the Volunteers were subordinate to the Dáil and this was the accepted view of the Volunteers. To quote Mulcahy in later years: "From the moment the government was appointed, the policy and work of the General Headquarters staff was car- ried on with ministerial understanding, approval and control, and with financial support authorised by the Dáil" adding that "complete confidence and closest possible understand- ing and co-operation existed between the army and the government." Of course, Mulcahy was likely being overly optimistic with this statement, given the attitude of some IRA figures that the army and government should remain separate. Looming over the period was the existence of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, where both Mulcahy, and particularly Collins, were major leadership figures. Brugha's distrust of the IRB would later result in GHQ issuing an order a July 1920 that all Volunteers were to swear an oath An t-Óglách is often described as a successor to the Irish Volunteer publication, and was also referred to as the old IRA's newspaper during the War of Independence and contained the tagline 'The Official Organ of the Irish Volunteer'.

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