Conor's Irish Civil War series continues with the immediate fallout from the previous Free State Offensive that saw any hopes for the continuation of a conventional war completely dashed, and a return to the guerrilla warfare that characterised the War of Independence. But having suffered a crucial defeat in Munster, IRA forces are more disconnected than ever. This week we see the beginnings of the clean-up operations conducted by the Free State Army, and the underhanded tactics used by the IRA to make every inch of territory gained by the Free State a nightmare.
From blowing up railway lines to ramping up the frequency of of ambushes, see just how desperate the IRA were getting as they began to constantly be on the backfoot with precious little that could be done to contend with the ever expanding forces of the Irish Free State. And yet despite the continued threat, some higher ups of the Free State Army believed that now was the time to relax more and begin inspections of the new army. This oversight would culminate in the greatest loss to the Free State Army in the assassination of its Commander-in-Chief, Michael Collins.
This episode was hosted by Conor Daly and joined by Arron Keegan and Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Make sure to follow us on social media! Seach for "That's Old News" on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter/X, or head to the linktree in the podcast's about section!
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Chapters:
(00:00) Coming Up This Week
(00:42) Intro
(03:32) Recap and Where We Stand
(14:20) Two Great Losses for the Provisional Government
(21:29) Michael Collins, Béal na Bláth, and the Immediate Aftermath
(39:08) Beginnings of a Bitter End to the War
(55:30) Support for the Republicans Dwindles
(01:13:50) Post Show Questions and Banter
