Collins, Michael

Collins, Michael (1890–1922), republican and statesman. Born in Clonakilty, Co. Cork, Collins moved to London in 1996 where he worked as a clerk in the Post Office and later for a firm of stockbrokers. While in London he became involved with the Irish Republican Brotherhood. He returned to Ireland in 1915 and fought in the General Post Office during the rising of 1916. On his release he became increasingly influential in Sinn Féin and the Irish Volunteers. He was elected to the first Dáil for South Cork and for Tyrone, first becoming minister for home affairs and from April 1919 minister for finance. In the latter function he organized the Dáil Loan which financed the republicans' alternative government. As director of organization and intelligence for the IRA he played a leading part in the co‐ordination of the military campaign in the Anglo‐Irish War. His intelligence network in Dublin was renowned, and he was responsible for the ‘Squad’ which eliminated government intelligence. His success and determination to get things done brought him into conflict with some other leaders such as de Valera and Cathal Brugha.

Collins was a reluctant delegate to the negotiations that produced the Anglo‐Irish treaty, but accepted their outcome and was appointed chairman and minister for finance of the Provisional Government responsible for the establishment of the new Irish state. He regarded the treaty only as a means towards obtaining a 32‐county republic. His conspiratorial nature came to the fore in his secret arrangement with the anti‐treatyites to attack Northern Ireland while officially recognizing it. He became commander‐in‐chief of the Free State army when the Irish Civil War broke out, and was killed on 22 August 1922 at Beal na Blath, Co. Cork, during an inspection tour of the south.

Generally seen as a man of action, he commanded great respect, admiration, and loyalty among those around him. He has been much idealized since his death, often described as the man who single‐handedly defeated the British forces. This view has been challenged in more recent writing. The widespread admiration for him has, nevertheless, fuelled much speculation about what Ireland would have been like if he had lived. Such speculation emphasizes his view of the treaty as a stepping‐stone, his progressive social views, and his potential to reunite a divided republican movement.

Bibliography

Coogan, Tim Pat , Michael Collins: A Biography (1990)
Hart, Peter , Mick: The Real Michael Collins (2005)

Joost Augusteijn