-
Easter Rising
An armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week. It was lead by the Irish Republicans with the objective of ending the British rule in the territory and establishing the Republic. It took place in Dublin and lasted less than a week because the British Army brought in thousands of reinforcements. -
Pre-war violence
In 1918, six civilians died in confrontations with the police and the British army and over one thousand were arrested. There were also some attacks by the Volunteers (shootings, burnings...). The attacks brought a strong British military presence from the summer of 1918. -
First Dáil
It was the first meeting of the unicameral parliament of the revolutionary Irish Republic. The establishment of the First Dáil occurred on the same day as the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence. Irish Republican volunteers acting on their own initiative killed two police officers. -
Second meeting of the First Dáil
Éamon de Valera was elected president and the government was constituted. He used these words: "There is in Ireland at this moment only one true authority, [...] the elected Government of the Irish Republic." -
Violence and attacks start spreading
During the early part of the conflict, approximately from its beginning in 1919 to the middle of 1920, there was a relatively limited ammount of violence. Much of the nationalist campaign involved just popular mobilisation and the creation of a Republican "state within a state" in opposition to the British. Therefore, it was all about politics rather than military movements. -
Battle of Ballinalee
The Irish Republican army, led by Seán Mac Eoin, drove away forces of the British Army and the Royal Irish Police Officers from the village of Ballinalee. This village became a symbol of the Republican strength. -
Bloody Sunday
There was a horrible fight in Dublin. In the early morning, some Republican Irish squads attacked the British forces in the capital, killing many officers. In the afternoon, in response, British police officers opened fire on the crowd during a Gaelic football match (killing fourteen people). Later that day, two Republican prisoners who had been arrested were killed in Dublin Castle. -
Kilmichael Ambush
The West Cork unit of the Irish Republican army ambushed a patrol of 18 auxiliaries at Kilmichael, killing everyone of them except for one person. -
Martial law
Martial law was proclaimed in several parts of the Irish territory (Act of Restoration of Order in Ireland). -
Division of Ireland
The Act of Government of Ireland received Royal approval. The provinces of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland were created. -
Clonfin Ambush
The Irish Republican army (led by Seán Mac Eoin) attacked two lorries of auxiliaries at the Clonfin Ambush. There was a gun battle in which four auxiliaries and a driver were killed. The weapons of the British army were taken by the Irish. On the other hand, the first execution under martial law of a Republican Irish soldier took place. -
Clonmult Ambush
Twelve Irish Republican volunteers were killed after being trapped in a house. The British forces lied about their "surrender". Besides, some of their volunteers were wounded or captured. Only one escaped. This ambush came to be known as "Kilmichael in reverse" -
Coolavokig Ambush
Sixty men of the Irish Republican Army ambushed a seventy men convoy of the Auxiliary Division (auxiliaries) during a four-hour battle. Three auxiliaries were killed, among them, the Major. After the ambush, the British forces stopped patrolling the area. -
Executions
Six Irish Republican prisoners were executed by Crown forces in Cork. There was also another ambush by the Irish Republican army in which two police officers were killed. -
Battle of Crossbarry
About a hundred Irish Republican volunteers, commanded by Tom Barry, escaped an attempt to trap them by about 1,200 British troops. During the hour-long battle, ten British troops and three Irish Republican volunteers were killed. The reports of victims varied according to the source that reported them. -
The 'Black Whitsun'
A general election for the parliament of Southern Ireland was celebrated on 13th May. Sinn Féin (political party) won 124 of the new parliament's 128 seats with no opposition, and the elected members refused to take their seats. Over the next two days (14th–15th May) the Irish Republican killed fifteen policemen. -
The burning of the Custom House
The biggest single loss for the Irish Republican army came in Dublin. Irish Republican units occupied and burned the Custom House, but the building and the units were quickly surrounded by several hundred British army troops. It was a failure, in which five Irish Republican men were killed and over eighty were captured. This was a proof that they were not well enough equipped or trained to win against the British forces. -
First conciliatory gesture
The British government cancelled the policy of house burnings as official reprisals. On the other side, Irish Republican leaders felt that the Irish Republican army, as it was organised, could not continue indefinitely. -
Talks for a truce
The British Coalition Government's Cabinet decided to propose talks with the leader of the Irish Republicans. Lloyd George wrote to Éamon de Valera as "the chosen leader of the great majority in Southern Ireland", suggesting a conference. De Valera and Lloyd George finally agreed to a truce; the intention was to end the fighting and prepare negotiations. -
Truce
The terms of the truce were signed on 9th July and came into effect on 11th July. The negotiations, however, were delayed for some months. The British troops should remain confined to their barracks. The Irish Republican officers understood the truce as a temporary "stop" and continued recruiting and training volunteers. Besides, the attacks didn't cease at all. -
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The peace talks led to the negotiation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was approved triply: by Dáil Éireann on 7th January 1922 (giving it legal legitimacy under the governmental system of the Irish Republic), by the House of Commons of Southern Ireland in January 1922 (giving it constitutional legitimacy), and by both Houses of the British parliament. -
One war ends... another one starts
In the Irish Civil War there were two opposing groups, the Irish Republicans and Irish Nationalists. The problem was the view of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The forces of the provisional government (became the Free State in December 1922) supported the treaty, while the Republican opposition saw it as a treason to the Irish Republic. Many of those who fought in the Civil War had been members of the Irish Republican army during the War of Independence. -
Northern Ireland, out of the Free State
The treaty allowed Northern Ireland, which was created by the Act of Government of Ireland (1920), to opt out of the Free State if wished, As agreed, an Irish Boundary Commission was created to decide on the precise location of the border of the Free State and Northern Ireland.
