Early life The rising Collins’s G army The war and the treaty Civil war Death more

1. Early life The rising Collins’s G army The war and the treaty Civil war Death more Michael Collins By Adam Neville 8/5/09

2. Early Life Michael Collins was born on the 16 of October 1890. He lived in a cottage at Woodfield near Clonakilty ,cork with 5 sisters and 2 brothers. He was though in a hedge school by a man called Denis Lyons who was a member of the Irish republican brotherhood. His father died from a hearth attack when Michael was 6. When on his deathbed his father pointed to Michael and said: ‘mind that child. He’ll be a great man yet and will do things for Ireland’. In 1906 at the he passed a boy clerkship test and was sent to London. In 1910, Collins moved from the post office to a stockbrocking firm, Horne and co, in Moorgate square and then in 1914, to the board of trade as a clerk. Michael Collins was just a little bit short of 1.8 metres(6 feet). It was this height that earned him the nickname ‘the big fellow’ Home page

3. The rising The I.R.B planned a rising against the English. The rebel forces consisted of 2000 men and women. At 12 o’clock noon Pearse and Connolly marched their soldiers up to the GPO. The GPO was the rebels headquarters. Other IRB soldiers took over other buildings such as Boland's mill, a bakery on the south side commandeered by Eamon de Valera who would be very important in Collins future. The leaders where all captured and killed but de Valera because he was American. 1837 people were interned in to England, among them was a 26 year old Michael Collins who was prisoner no 48f. Home page

4. Collins’s G army Michael Collins was released from prison at Christmas 1916 and he started recruiting men for a`G’ army. His secret army would spy on the British. two of the men he got worked in Dublin castle, The head quarters of the British secret service in Ireland. Another person was his cousin Nancy O'Brian. she worked in the GPO which had been captured by the British during the rising. job his g men told him of the British's plans and also how they operated. Michael Collins had a lot of stuff to do each day. He had to get reports from his spies and give out new missions as well as his day jobs. He cycled from place to place on his bicycle. Collins was a wanted man and the price of 10,000 pounds was put on him. Dublin castle had bad photos of him so he was able to get through the check points that had been set up all over Dublin. Home page

5. The war and the treaty The police described Michael Collins as a dangerous man. Michael Collins set up a loan scheme to fund the work of Dail eireann and its various ministries. The British tried to find out Where the funds were coming from . They sent out a man Called Alan bell to investigate, Collins army killed him. The English troops sent out to stop the rebellion wore black and tan uniforms . This earned them the nickname: the black and tans. Their aim was to strike fear into the people of the IRA and the people of Ireland. Lots of Irish people supported the IRA which had great strength. Michael Collins was part of the Ira. Collins supported military campaign in parts of the country. attacks on the English barrack and the black and tans went on with out anybody being able to stop them. When the IRA set fire to a barracks the black and tans started to set fire to parts of cities. Michael Collins went to downing street to have talks about a treaty that would give Ireland its independence. The talks ended up with the English getting six counties and the Irish getting the rest. De Valera Wasn’t happy and declared war on Michael Collins. This started the civil war. Home

6. Civil war After the treaty had been signed there was civil war in Ireland. One side wanted Ireland to have control over all of the counties (De Valera’s side). The other side wanted it to stay as it was (Michael Collins's side). Michael Collins was made Commander-in-chief of the IRA. De Valera toured the south of the country trying to recruit people for his anti-treaty army. IRA breakaway soldiers captured the Four Courts, and other buildings in the city centre. De Valera who was fighting as a volunteer with out rank escaped the fighting and went into hiding. On august the twelfth the president died. Collins would die ten days later. Collins ordered two of his men to kill Field Marshall Sir Henry Wilson. Collins set out for Bealnablath. Home

7. Death On the twenty second of August Michael Collins set out to the imperial hotel in Bealnablath. The group he was with consisted of motorcycle scout, a lorry carrying eight soldiers, two machine gunners and two officers. Behind the machine gun lorry was Michael Collins in an open topped car. The last car was a Rolls Royce armoured car. On the way to the hotel the convoy was ambushed by De Valera’s army. The Ambushers were mostly dispersed at a local pub. Five men open fire at Collins and his companions. They planted a mine but then disconnected it before the fighting began. The armoured car continued moving but Collins said that they would fight the ambushers. Michael Collins was killed by a bullet to the head as he fought the ambushers. He fell still clutching his rifle. He was laid in the car and brought to cork and then by boat to Dublin. A gun carriage brought his body down O'Connell street where he was finally to rest in Glasnevin Cemetery. Home

8. The IRA The IRA was founded in Ireland in the twentieth century just before the Easter rising. It was an army that was against the English rule of Ireland. Michael Collins was sworn into the IRA by Sam Maguire while he was in England. It was first known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood or the IRB. Its name was then changed to the Irish Republican Army or the IRA. It conducted attacks on the English soldiers in Ireland (including the black and tans). In the middle of 1922 Michael Collins was made commander-in-chief of the IRA, many joined the Free State Army. A group broke away and fought against the treaty, the Free State Army defeated them. After the civil war they stopped their actions. In the 1960’s the IRA re-emerged and started attacking the English in northern Ireland. This was named the troubles. The IRA bombed buildings and hotels and killed people. They were told to give up their weapons and some people say that they did but others say they still have them. The IRA split up into three groups: the real IRA, the continuity IRA and the provisional IRA. Recently they have killed a police officer in the north and two British soldiers. Once they were the army of the free state soldiers and but now are terrorists Civil war Home

9. The war and the treaty Home

10. More photos More information Home

11. More information Michael Collins was engaged to a woman called Kitty Kiernan when he died. Nobody knows who shot Michael Collins. It is said that the machine gun jammed, but when it was looked at they found nothing wrong with it. When he signed the Anglo-Irish treaty he said “i have signed my death warrant” His father was called Michael Collins. The house he grew up in was burnt by members of the Essex regiment His bodyguard was called Emmet Dalton President Griffith died ten days before Michael Collins. Back Home