John Downing: UCC study slays myths of the tragedy
that framed first century of our State

Artillery battery fired against the law courts where the revolutionists were entrenched in Dublin, 1922. Photo: Getty

John Downing

It started without any formal declaration of war and ended without a negotiated peace. But Ireland’s Civil War – deemed to have run from June 28, 1922, until May 24, 1923 – left us a legacy of deeply entrenched bitterness and framed this nation’s politics across the 20th century.

Now, on the cusp of 101 years since Frank Aiken issued his “ceasefire and dump arms order” to the anti-Treaty forces he commanded, we finally learn how many people actually died in this pointless 11 months of killing.

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