An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir February 2020 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | T he Forgotten Fallen, the first of three volumes on the dead of the Irish Civil War, is a comprehensive study of the deaths of National Army soldiers on active service during the conflict. Volume II, The Defiant Fallen, will focus on anti-Treaty fatalities, and Volume III, The Innocent Fallen, will deal with civilian deaths. The idea for the collection came about when a tour guide in Glasnevin Cemetery asked me if I had ever considered writing my own book. I had certainly thought about it, but with such a vast array of well-researched new books and material being published today, especially during the run up to 2016 and the 'decade of commemorations', it was quite difficult to choose a topic that had not already been covered and to which I felt I could do justice. Then, one day, while tending the flowers on the grave of Michael Collins, as I do with others every Saturday, I began to read the scores of inscribed names of National soldiers who died during the Civil War. Here was an untold story, a forgotten part of Irish history to be researched, because, unfortunately, the majority of these men – with the exception of the likes of Michael Collins – have not been remembered or written about in the same way as many of their contemporaries who died on the anti-Treaty side. Although dozens of books have been written about Collins and the Civil War in general, especially in relation to the ferocious fighting that it descended into as the war progressed, we rarely find an in-depth account of a National soldier's death, or even their names being mentioned. To me, they are truly Ireland's 'for- gotten fallen' – not by their families of course, but by the govern- ment whose cause they died defending, and by most historians who write of the times. As historian Anne Dolan put it: "Nothing robbed the Free State soldier of his dignity more than his government's treat- ment of his memory." I have attempted to address this neglect as best as I could with this first volume, which I hope will be of value to future historians and researchers of the period. In the records of almost 800 men can be found many fascinating stories concerning important as- pects of the war, which dispel many myths and, I hope, humanise the participants. Michael Collins' last days are studied in great detail, while the formation of the National Army and its direct connections to the Irish Volunteers are also looked at. It is interesting to note that many of the soldiers whose deaths are recorded in this book were veterans of the Rising and the War of Independence; men like young Vinny Byrne, of Bloody Sunday fame, who believed themselves to be as much republicans as their counterparts on the anti-Treaty side – they just had different ideas about achieving the unified republic they all desired. Those who opposed the Treaty wanted to fight to the bitter end to force a complete withdrawal of British forces from Ireland, while those who accepted it as a stepping stone to unity supported Collins' idea of getting the British out of the country by agreement first and then using the Treaty as a path towards full independence. Both sides were ultimately republican in their objectives, and following the split both sides even identified themselves as the Irish Republican Army. Therefore, I avoid using loaded terms such as 'regulars', 'irregulars', 'Free Staters', 'republicans' and other such terms to describe either side, and have instead used 'anti-Treaty IRA' and 'National Army' / 'soldiers' extensively throughout the text when describing the combatants. In truth, neither side 'won' the war. Yes, the anti-Treaty side dumped its arms and ceased hostilities and the National side claimed victory, but that only marked a move from physical to political conflict. Also, Ireland has not yet been reunified, so the ultimate objective of both sides has yet to be achieved. BY JAMES LANGTON The Forgotten Fallen Some of the National soldiers involved in the Four Courts attack. After the Four Courts surrender. National soldiers in defensive positions on a country road.

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