Guerrilla phase of the Irish Civil War
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The guerrilla phase of the Irish Civil War began in August 1922, when the forces of the Irish Free State took all the fixed positions previously held by the Anti-Treaty IRA.[1] The IRA then waged a guerrilla war to try to bring down the new Irish Government and overturn the Anglo-Irish Treaty. This guerrilla campaign was ultimately defeated.[2]
Guerrilla phase of the Irish Civil War | |||||||
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Part of the Irish Civil War | |||||||
Partial front page of a newspaper describing the death of Michael Collins on 22 August 1922. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Anti-treaty IRA | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
| c. 15,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Civilians: Unknown |
The IRA called a ceasefire in April 1923[3] and "dumped arms" the following month. This phase of the war was characterised by small-scale military actions but also by assassinations and executions on both sides. The Free State also imprisoned up to 13,000 IRA fighters.[4] In addition, the campaign saw the destruction of a great deal of infrastructure such as roads and railways by the IRA.