RTÉ History - Guerrilla War

Sentenced to death: the Civil War executions

In 1922, the National Army, with the permission of the Dáil, began executing captured anti-Treaty forces without trial. It was a policy that saw the new state abandon the rule …

A bridge destroyed by a bomb that was set off to wreck the mail train in Kiltoom Co. Roscommon. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Guerrillas in the west: guerrilla warfare during the Civil War

Firemen hosing down the ruins of Kilteragh, Sir Horace Plunkett's house outside Dublin, which was burned down by anti-Treaty forces in February 1923. Plunkett was a Senator of the Irish Free State. Photo: Walshe/Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty

Settling scores: everyday violence during the Civil War

Clashmealcon Caves, site of one of the last acts of extreme violence of the Civil War

Cave men: cave hideouts during the Civil War

The burning of Sir Horace Plunkett's house Kilteragh in February 1923. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

A two minute guide to everyday violence in the Civil War

About the War of Independence project

The War of Independence project is a partnership between RTÉ History, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media and The Atlas of the Irish Revolution

Before Guerrilla War: The Conventional Phase of the Civil War

Soldiers on board the SS Lady Wicklow watching land for snipers as they approach Passage West, Cork in August 1922. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

What was the Conventional Phase of the Civil War?

Conventional Phase

There were two phases to the Civil War. The first is known as the Conventional phase - and it was more dramatic than its name suggests, as Helene O'Keeffe explains.

Barricades in Limerick

Urban warfare: the Battle for Limerick

Conventional Phase

Soldiers with an 18lber gun

Attacking the Block: the Battle of Dublin

Battle of Dublin

A patrol in Passage West

Turning point: the Battle of Cork