Cottrell, P. Essential Histories - The Irish Civil War 1922-23

In a sequel to his successful best-selling ESS 65 The Anglo-Irish War, Peter Cottrell explores the devastating conflict that tore Ireland apart, shortly after 'peace' had been declared. He focuses on the short but bloody battles that witnessed more deaths than the preceding years of the War of Independence. Examining the many factions that played a part in the fighting, and more often in the terror and counter-terror operations, Cottrell highlights the contrasting styles of leadership and the conduct of combat operations by the IRA and the National Army. He uses detailed tactical maps to explain the tactics that ranged from urban warfare and street-fighting to the final siege of Limerick city. A bitter sequence of attack and reprisal, the Irish Civil War was a complex social and political battle to change the nature of government and politics in Ireland. This book primarily discusses the military operations, but also places these in the wider context of the personalities involved, including Liam Lynch and Michael Collins. It also assesses the impact of the war on civilian life, and its influence on the politics of Ireland at national and international levels thereafter. This is not only the story of one country, but also of the relationships between Ireland and Britain, and Ireland and America, which have had a profound impact on modern politics for decades.