An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir Dec 2017 / Jan 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 26 | REPoRT & PhoToS By SGT WAyNE FITzGERAlD "The country folk who were opposed to the operations of the IRA…do not now mind, and although they are opposed to murders they are in favour of ambushes. They are beginning to be proud of their Irish heroes, in spite of all the restrictions imposed by martial law." Basil Thompson, Director of Intelligence for the Home Office, writing to Prime Minister Lloyd George in April 1921. O n November 8th Joseph EA Connell Jnr, a Vietnam veteran and acclaimed author of Michael Collins: Dublin 1916-22, gave a talk titled 'Michael Collins and Guerrilla Warfare 1918-22' in the National Museum of Ireland (NMI), Col- lins Bks, Dublin. The exclusive talk, hosted by the NMI and oNE, was arranged for veterans but was also open to the public. The Irish are recorded as using guerrilla tactics as early as 1857 against their colonial masters, but it was after the Easter Ris- ing and during the War of Independence that guerrilla warfare was developed to its greatest effect with the use of explosives. Guerrilla war traditionally consisted mainly of harassment of the enemy in the countryside and the Irish War of Independence is believed to be one of the first times that urban guerrilla warfare tactics were used. Most guerrilla wars have a political propaganda campaign run- ning alongside them to sway the population to their cause, as the people's support is vital to any chance of success. Atrocities were carried out on both sides during the War of Independence, but it was the British forces' overreaction to attacks against them that swayed the Irish citizenry towards the Republican cause. According to Joseph, "Collins would constantly slow down the pace of the war to control it, so he could always be two steps ahead of the British." The Irish rebels were the first to use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in urban combat. It was also a first for armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) to be used in an urban setting, with the British converting many commercial trucks for this purpose. The explosives were developed for the republicans by UCD stu- dent James O'Donovan. Joseph said that Collins told O'Donovan to develop explosives that could be made by men with no techni- cal skills in farmhouse kitchens all around the country. Joseph said, "In all guerrilla warfare it's better to withdraw from a fight instead of losing a fight." Guerrilla warfare requires very flexible tactics to slow the battle and to always have an escape plan. Republican forces were very good at channelling British forces to where they wanted them in an ambush and they would try to capture weapons and ammunition. The British forces believed they controlled the country but the republicans were really winning the hearts and minds of the population, which helped them achieve their goal. In a deadly game of cat and mouse, while the IRA were spread- ing their intelligence network the British forces were developing counter-intelligence, and while the republicans perfected their guerrilla tactics the British developed a counter-insurgency doc- trine, and as both sides resorted to terrorism the civilian popula- tion suffered the most, as is always the case. Effective propaganda is one of the most successful tools in guerrilla warfare and this was exploited to the full through the Irish Bulletin, which was the official newspaper of the Irish repub- lican movement. Eventually the War of Independence ended because the British wanted out, yet the treaty talks, at which Collins represented the republican side, led to civil war between anti-Treaty and pro- Treaty sides. Ironically, Collins, the man who had led the IRA's guerrilla war against the British, now found himself in charge of a conventional military force facing a guerrilla campaign waged by the anti- Treaty side, and at Béal na Bláth, Co Cork, on 22nd August 1922, he died in an ambush that was typical of those that had been developed by the IRA under his leadership. Joseph finished by saying, "As a military veteran when you visit Dublin you look for something to relate too, Dublin is a battlefield, it's our Waterloo." 'Michael Collins: Dublin 1916-22' by Joseph EA Connell Jnr is published by Wordwell Books (ISBN: 978-0-993351884) for €19.00 and is availble from all good bookstores or www.wordwellbooks. com/collins Vietnam veteran and author Joseph EA Connell Jnr ONE CEO Ollie O'Connor gets his copy signed by the author

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