Aristocrats and itinerants, unionists and nationalists, Catholics and Protestants - the Great War united thousands of Clare men and women to a cause for which many of them would go out to fight and die. from mercenary motives, fuelled by poverty, to the moral duty to fight for civilization against the 'savage Huns'.
The Irish Civil War was contested as bitterly in Clare as in any other part of Ireland. The pattern of the war in the country was similar to the military conflict at national level, with a brief conventional phase when the Free State government forces captured all the main cities and towns, which was followed by a longer period of guerrilla warfare. This work examines the nature of that bitter conflict in this historic county.
The IRA Volunteers of County Clare were pioneers of the tactics of guerrilla warfare. In 1919, with the moral support of Dr Michael Fogarty, Catholic Bishop of Killaloe, they took on the vastly superior forces of the Crown. Through their successful 'hit-and-run' tactics, the IRA undermined and paralyzed British rule in the county until the truce finally came on 11 July 1921. In this comprehensively researched and scholarly work, the author tells a story that highlights the particular role of the men and women of Clare in the national conflict, which offers unique insights into the major events, successful ambushes, Black and Tan reprisals and controversial IRA executions during the national struggle for independence.