OPINION (AN COLÚN): What really happened in the Civil War in Offaly and Tipperary?

Part One

THE study of history should be about trying to get to the truth of what happened, or as close as we possibly can, because often events will always remain murky, or will always have conflicting reports of what happened.
The Civil War in Offaly and Tipperary was so horrific and nightmarish that, for many years after, a veil was drawn over it and we either remained silent about it or told narratives which didn't tell what really took place, or omitted the worst details, or told a complete fiction. We had been through a trauma, whose effects are still with us today, and often the best approach to a trauma is to switch off from it and direct the mind to other pursuits. Dragging up events that were such a harsh, brutal reality can be a self-defeating, masochistic act; it can be mentally unhealthy. Sometimes the world of reality is so horrific, so barbaric, so inhuman, and we feel so emotional and overwhelmed when contemplating it, that our natural response is to remain silent.
However, sometimes the truth should be brought out into the open because then at least we can see where we went wrong and hold it up as a warning to future generations.
When we honestly open up to the history, and don't shy away from it, we can see the things which can lead to violence and death, namely nationalism, greed, lust for land, lust for women, people afflicted by poverty (through no fault of their own but because of the diseased system they find themselves in, and therefore driven to crime). Some of the young men who participated in the Civil War did so because they were impoverished and saw the breakdown in law and order as an opportunity to engage in petty crime. More seriously, some saw the breakdown as an opportunity to make landgrabs of their neighbour's land. Conversation amongst recruits in either the National Army or the Anti-Treaty forces often revolved around the opportunities of acquiring land.
On Friday evening a number of us in Friar's Tavern in Lorrha were privileged to hear an outstanding lecture delivered by historian John Flannery on his extensive research into the Civil War in Offaly and Tipperary. In an unbiased lecture John drew back the veil and showed us exactly what happened.
He began in a poignant vein, speaking about the haunted memories of those who experienced a hell on earth. “Nearly all the memories are bad,” he said. “It is still a highly contentious subject even after a century.” He said he's writing a book on the subject, “and during my research, when I have been interviewing people, there have been a number of times when they have started crying. To see their tears is a realisation of the pain that was caused.
“Regardless of what side you stand on, whether pro or anti treaty, most people on both sides held very sincerely held feelings and beliefs on the subject. Both sides wanted to see a free and united Ireland. Where they differed was in the methods of attaining that.”
John pointed out that the Civil War was the darkest period in our history since the Great Famine. “The scars of the conflict are still present in our country and in our politics to this day. However we need to move beyond that, to move on in a spirit of community and cooperation.”
He said he thinks we are moving slowly but surely towards a united Ireland but this undertaking will only be worthwhile if it's undertaken with a generosity of spirit and with a respect for the beliefs of others.
John's book is going to be called, “Tipperary 1921 to 1926 - Anarchy, Agrarianism & Civil War.” He told us that when he began researching the period, like many of us he thought the War completely ended shortly after the death of Liam Lynch. However, there were still former members of the anti-treaty IRA on the run into 1926, and it was only with the founding of Fianna Fáil and the holding of local elections in 1926 that the last of them came in from the cold (so to speak) and were assimilated into a peacetime, democratic society.
After the end of the War of Independence on July the 11th, 1921 there was widespread jubilation throughout Ireland because at long last there would be a return to normality; a return of fairs, a return of gaelic games, a return of social life in general. People also looked forward to an end of the food shortages which had been synonymous with the War of Independence.

Second part to follow next week.