Michael Collins

100 years on from his death, Taoiseach Micheál Martin writes about the legacy Michael Collins left behind.

We should never forget the scale of the achievement of the War of Independence. In the harsh words of the Treaty debate you find a despair of people so recently comrades being pushed apart by views which we should acknowledge were deeply felt and expressed in good faith. It was his organisational genius that made him indispensable in establishing the legitimacy of Dáil Éireann and its government.

'The Irish nation will be shocked beyond measure at this awful news,' read an editorial in the August 23rd, 1922, edition of the newspaper.

His death will serve only to strengthen the resolve of the Irish people that is work shall be carried to complete success.” Irishman the world over will mourn him and will sink their heads at the deep damnation of his taking-off. “As we go to press we learn that General Michael Collins, commander-in-chief of the Irish army and chairman of the Provisional Government has been wounded fatally in an ambush in Co Cork. General Collins stood for stable government and the restoration of civilised conditions to our distracted country. The edition of the morning of August 23rd had Collins’ death as the main news story. At the time, The Irish Times covered late breaking news from home and abroad well into the early hours of the morning.

Monday, August 22nd marks 100 years since Irish revolutionary and political figure Michael Collins was shot dead in an ambush at Béal na Blath in Cork.

The Imperial Hotel in Co Cork will unveil the Michael Collins Suite, the room where Collins stayed the nights before his death in 1922, as part of its ...

The painting will be available to be viewed by guests and members of the public from that date forward. This painting will be officially unveiled in the hotels spectacular lobby on Monday 22nd of August 2022 by Collins’ grandniece Fidelma Collins and grandnephew Aidan O’ Sullivan. The family will depart the Imperial mid-morning and follow the exact route Michael Collins took to The Imperial Hotel is a wonderful mix between history and the present day. He was tragically just 31 years old at the time of his death. [www.imperialhotelcork.com](https://www.imperialhotelcork.com/). This has a run time of one hour. [Easter Rising in 1916](https://www.irishcentral.com/topic/1916-centenary), Collins rose through the political ranks and was elected as a representative politician for South Cork and appointed Minister for Finance in the first Dáil. The convoy was ambushed by anti-treaty forces at Béal na Bláth just before sunset, at 7:30 pm where Collins was fatally wounded. Its facade remains close to what you see in the old photos while its lobby and bars drip in art deco and 1800s architecture. Having fought in the The hotel will host relatives of Collins on the anniversary of the Irish leader's death as it officially opens the new "Michael Collins Suite" and unveils a newly commissioned portrait of the revolutionary leader.

Ronan McGreevy visits Béal na Bláth ahead of the centenary in search of the truth about an assassination whose impact is still felt today.

Moreover, there is some doubt if Kearney was even there on the evening in question. Why was he the only fatality in an ambush that lasted up to an hour? The line of sight most likely taken by his killer is now obscured by trees and bushes, but is 75 metres from where Collins was shot. Dalton, who took over in Cork, specifically banned inquests in the county after Collins was shot. A digger was on site during the week readying the grounds for the expected crowds. Howard is also a former commandant in the local defence force Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA). Sunday’s Béal na Bláth commemoration, which will be addressed by both the Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, is likely to be the biggest to date. The ambush site is being significantly upgraded in advance of the commemoration. The limestone cross marking the site has been cleaned up and the railings replaced by a granite plinth. At Béal na Bláth crossroads there is a gift shop in a Portakabin selling souvenirs. Hope died too, according to many of his contemporaries, along with the prospect of reconciliation between the pro- and anti-Treaty sides, and an end to partition. The famous silhouette of Collins striding purposely, taken at Portobello Barracks just a few weeks before he died, is everywhere in this part of west Cork.

His death cast a shadow over Irish politics for a century. Now shadows are set to play a key role in how he is remembered. A sun alignment feature has been ...

Now shadows are set to play a key role in how he is remembered. It involved an historical analysis of the battlefield and ambush area, and drew from an historic landscape assessment to reshape the area around the ambush site as it was in August 1922. Ms Vallone and her county council team have spent months working on the scheme, in a partnership with a number of Government departments; the Department of An Taoiseach, the Department of Defence, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

IrishCentral Contributor Pauline Murphy takes a look at the hotels in Ireland where revolutionary leader Michael Collins stayed.

The very last photo of Collins, sitting in his car outside Bandon's Munster Hotel, now hangs in the hotel lobby. Another famous last photo of Collins was taken outside the Munster Arms Hotel in Bandon. In the heart of Clonakilty town sits O'Donovan's Hotel where Collins was a regular. The statue of Collins in the town square is modelled from that famous speech he made outside O'Donovans door. Room 1 in the Bush Hotel was where Collins stayed when he was in the North West in 1917 drumming up support for Sinn Féin. The grand old hotel overlooking Dublin Bay was where Collins and his fiancee Kitty Kiernan escaped to in Room 210 during their courtship.

Thousands of people are expected in West Cork tomorrow to mark the centenary commemoration of Michael Collins' death which will be the first time that a ...

Thousands of people are expected in West Cork tomorrow to mark the centenary commemoration of Michael Collins' death which will be the first time that a Fianna Fail leader will address the crowd at Béal na Bláth.

The President of the State that Collins was instrumental in founding will not be at Béal na Bláth for his centenary commemoration.

Sinn Féin would in all likelihood have cast Collins as the man who would never have, as they saw it, sold out the Republic. When the inter-party government came to power in the 1950s, the army once again had a role in the annual Béal na Bláth event. And when Fianna Fáil returned to office in 1957, the army was once again told to stay away. It wasn’t until 1939 that Dev’s government granted permission for a headstone to be erected over Collins’ grave in Glasnevin and even then the monument had to comply with strict design criteria. There was also a smattering of Fine Gael senators and the lone Fianna Fáil representative, senator Mark Daly. Last Sunday, as the heatwave shimmered and shone, Griffith was remembered in Glasnevin Cemetery.

A timeline of events in the last 50 days leading up the fateful ambush in West Cork that led to the death of Michael Collins.

Although leader of the National Army, Collins was not experienced in situations such as these and he left the safety of cover for a better vantage point to shoot at the IRA men. With the aid of Long’s directions, the convoy passes on the way to Bandon. He also sent his nephew, Sean Collins Powell, on a dangerous errand as part of this attempt to trace the money. One of the passengers was wounded in the hip and removed to Baggott Street Hospital. According to Plunkett, Collins was brought to dinner as a guest of Hazel Lavery. "His character made a deep impression upon the British ministers who shared with him those unremitting labours in which he was called to play so testing and difficult a task. Griffith had been in hospital for over a week, initially for fever and tonsilitis and was under the care of his friend, Dr. When finally nearing their destination in Kerry, they have a puncture, but have no valves to facilitate the pumping of the spare tyre. It is not necessary for me to illustrate this by pointing to the wretched Irish Republican Police system, and to the awful personnel that was attracted to its ranks. Collins is there, with Richard Mulcahy and Gearóid O’Sullivan, when the bodies are removed to the barrack mortuary. I now propose to call off hostilities in the North and to use the political arm against Craig so long as it is of use. Our officers seem to realise that there is no other policy for the North but a peace policy of some kind…"

This Monday marks the 100th anniversary of Michael Collins' death at Béal na Bláth and communities in towns across Cork have organised events for the entire ...

It will be followed by live music at 9.30pm. Launched by Lord Mayor of Cork Deirdre Forde, this landmark new exhibition will include such items as Collins’s gun, his Mass card, his uniform, and many items related to Michael Collins never seen publicly before. Large crowds are expected to attend the televised event which will be broadcast live on the RTÉ News Now channel. A wreath will also be laid at the Michael Collins Statue in Clonakilty at 9pm. This Monday marks the 100th anniversary of Michael Collins’ death at Béal na Bláth and communities in towns across Cork have organised events for the entire family. A toast at the same time he left The Four Alls pub at Sam's Cross for the last time 100 years ago will take place at 6.15pm.

A number of entries on his visits to Donegal are contained in a new book on the working diaries of Michael Collins. 'Days in the Life, Reading the Michael ...

It is also available online at Also speaking about the release of this book, Orlaith McBride, Director of the National Archives, said: “It is very exciting to have the opportunity to introduce Michael Collins’s diaries to a wider public and to begin a conversation about what they might mean and to contribute to what will undoubtedly be the collective effort of interpreting this new source.” Echoing the content and the texture of the diaries, the mix of the purposeful and the random that are days in a life, this book uses the diaries to consider critical moments in Collins’s revolution. “I was honoured to be present at the birthplace of Michael Collins at Woodfield, Cork last November when the diaries were handed over to the National Archives by the family of the late Liam and Betty Collins, nephew of Michael Collins.” A number of entries on his visits to Donegal are contained in a new book on the working diaries of Michael Collins. ‘Days in the Life, Reading the Michael Collins Diaries 1918-1922’ is published by The National Archives in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy.

Michael Collins was killed in Béal na Bláth during the Irish Civil war 100 years ago, his relatives and historians recount his final movements.

The joint address at Béal na Bláth by the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, marks the end of ...

“I think Collins, as ever, would be critical, because he always wanted more, but I think the Ireland we are living in today is something that we can be proud of, but also it needs constant work and improvement.” He said Collins would have been proud of Ireland today and its role in the world, its economy, its positions in UN and EU, and its equal relationship with the UK. He added that Collins would be proud too of Cork, a city he had, as finance minister, raised funds to rebuild after the Burning of Cork in 1920.

The Free State military commander, who was 31 years old, was the only casualty of a West Cork ambush at the height of the Civil War. Centenary commemorations to ...

It was the centrepiece of a week-long series of events in the town, aimed at marking his legacy. Other centenary events include walking tours associated with Collins landmarks, presentations on his life and screenings of films inspired by him. “On the centenary of his death, we pay tribute on behalf of a grateful nation and join together to say ‘thank you’. It is already the most sought-after hotel room in Cork. Béal na Bláth has been the subject of extensive redevelopment by Cork County Council in recent months. Today’s ceremony will also feature a lavish military display.

Mr Martin will become the first Fianna Fail Taoiseach to speak at a commemoration for Mr Collins. He will join Tanaiste Leo Varadkar in delivering a joint ...

They will join the thousands of people who will travel from across Ireland to mark the anniversary of his death. Descendants of Mr Collins will travel from across the world to attend today’s event to mark the eve of the leader’s death 100 years ago. Thousands of people are expected to attend a centenary commemoration of the death of Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins later today.

The site of Michael Collins' death hosts an annual oration in his memory. Here are some outstanding quotes from those occasions.

He recognised that such a system was essential to the running of a State. Yet he still had the time and the ability to build the foundations of a system of financial control. The democratic cornerstones laid by Michael Collins in 1922 included, among other things, a recognition of the unionists’ right to consent to any change in their status as part of the United Kingdom.

The relationship between Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera was fraught long before the Civil War started. Political Editor Daniel McConnell writes of how ...

Despite the tension, Collins and de Valera signed an election pact. de Valera also accused Collins of keeping him in the dark on purpose and claimed he should have been consulted before they signed. But they felt, the Treaty and its terms including the Oath of Allegiance was not what Pearse died for six years earlier. “However, two days before the June General Election, Collins denounced the pact. The treaty’s terms infuriated de Valera because they were not what he wanted at all. On his return, de Valera asked how everything was going, and the response was, “Great! Whatever the truth, his decision not to go had widespread ramifications. To accompany him, de Valera selected Arthur Griffith, Robert Barton, Count Plunkett, and Erskine Childers — but not Collins. [His] determination to win any public opinion propaganda battles was evident very quickly”. We’ll see who’s the Big Fellow...” Dev’s apparent reply: “Big Fellow! In 1922, Éamon de Valera and the mythic Michael Collins had opposing views of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and de Valera’s rivalry with Collins also seems to have played a significant role in leading Ireland to Civil War, historian Julia Walsh concluded in 2012.

Thousands of people will gather today at Béal na Bláth in Co Cork to commemorate the centenary of the death of Michael Collins in an ambush.

First, Dublin had fallen, then the cities and towns of Munster were captured. Those attending are being advised that they will be required to stand for the entire ceremony. He will then address the crowd, followed by Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar, as well as a relative of Michael Collins. The events at Béal na Bláth ushered in a new and even more bitter phase of the Civil War, with the IRA mounting a campaign of assassination against government Ministers and TDs, and the Provisional Government passing legislation to allow for the execution of anyone found carrying weapons against the Free State. Wreaths will be laid at the Béal na Bláth monument to Michael Collins, 'The Last Post' will be played, followed by the National Anthem and the national flag will be raised over the site. Thousands of people will gather today at Béal na Bláth in Co Cork to commemorate the centenary of the death of Michael Collins in an ambush.