The Civic Guard Mutiny

by Brian McCarthy

Overview

On the morning of 15th May, 1922, over 1,000 recruits of the newly established Civic Guard suddenly broke ranks during Commissioner Michael Staines' TD address at Morning Parade in the training depot at Kildare Barracks. The recruits immediately set about raiding the armoury while Staines and his senior officers withdrew under armed protection and evacuated the barracks much to the annoyance of Michael Collins, the Chairman of the fledgling Provisional Government. For almost seven weeks, Collins and the mutineers struggled to reconcile their differences in the midst of the Irish Civil War. Both sides were unaware that their efforts to resolve the dispute were thwarted by a group of anti-Treaty Civic Guards intent on destroying the new force. This book investigates the reasons why the earliest recruits of the Civic Guard took up arms against their own masters and brought about a significant security risk that had direct implications for both the civil war and the future structure of the its successor, An Garda Síochána.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781171516
Publisher:	Mercier Press
Publication date:	09/03/2012
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	764 KB

About the Author

Brian McCarthy has been studing the history of the Garda Síochána since 1996. He has a BA in History and Politics and an MA in History. He is currently a career guidance counsellor at St. Peter's College, Dunboyne, County Meath

Read an Excerpt

On the morning of 15th May, 1922, over 1,000 recruits of the newly established Civic Guard suddenly broke ranks during Commissioner Michael Staines' TD address at Morning Parade in the training depot at Kildare Barracks. The recruits immediately set about raiding the armoury while Staines and his senior officers withdrew under armed protection and evacuated the barracks much to the annoyance of Michael Collins, the Chairman of the fledgling Provisional Government. For almost seven weeks, Collins and the mutineers struggled to reconcile their differences in the midst of the Irish Civil War. Both sides were unaware that their efforts to resolve the dispute were thwarted by a group of anti-Treaty Civic Guards intent on destroying the new force. This book investigates the reasons why the earliest recruits of the Civic Guard took up arms against their own masters and brought about a significant security risk that had direct implications for both the civil war and the future structure of the its successor, An Garda Síochána.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Prologue 9

Introduction 11

1 Policing in Ireland before 1922 13

2 The Replacement of the RIC 48

3 The Outbreak of Mutiny 87

4 The Commission of Enquiry 139

5 Recommendations of the Commission of Enquiry 175

6 The Aftermath of the Mutiny 206

Conclusion 209

Notes 213

Bibliography 242

Index 251