Days in the life: Reading the Michael Collins Diaries 1918-1922

Description

Collins's diaries are not the diaries many people might be expecting. Published here for the very first time, they are pocket appointment bookscum- to-do lists, the working diaries of someone in the midst of the extraordinary times he was central to, but also the diaries of an everyday life, with dental appointments to endure and football matches to enjoy. In short accessible illustrated chapters the life of one of the great leaders of Ireland is revealed. Michael Collins (1890-1922), was born in Co. Cork, he was a staff captain in the GPO in 1916, and emerged as a leading figure during his internment in Frongoch camp. As the Director of Organisation with the Irish Volunteers, he masterminded their campaign in the Anglo-Irish war (1919-21). Having signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty, in 1922 he became chairman of the Provisional Government and commander-in-chief of the National Army. He was killed in an ambush in Co. Cork on 22 August 1922.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Military history

Informations

• Publié par: Royal Irish Academy
• Date de parution: 21 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781802050042
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 20 Mo

Extrait

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Days in the life: reading the Michael Collins diaries, 191–1922

First published 2022 Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 www.ria.ie

Published in partnership with the National Archives, Ireland. www.nationalarchives.ie

© National Archives and the authors

ISBN 97-1-0205-003-5 (HB)

ISBN 97-1-0205-004-2 (pdf)

ISBN 97-1-0205-005-9 (epub)

All rights reserved. The material in this publication is protected by copyright law. Except as may be permitted by law, no part of the material may be reproduced (including by storage in a retrieval system) or transmitted in any form or by any means; adapted; rented or lent without the written permission of the copyright owners or a licence permitting restricted copying in Ireland issued by the Irish Copyright Licensing Agency CLG, 63 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, A96 WF25.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Designed by New Graphic Proofread by Liz Evers Printed in Italy by Printer Trento Printed on Munken Lynx Rough annd Munken White 120gsm and 300gsm which is FSC-C020637, PEFC™ PEFC/05-33-99 certified.

Royal Irish Academy is a member of Publishing Ireland, the Irish book publishers’ association

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We want to try to offset the environmental impacts of carbon produced during the production of our books and journals. This year we will plant 45 trees with Easy Treesie (Crann Project, CHY1369).

Published with support from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012–2023 Programme.

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63

Private lives

Prisoners

The GAA

Keeping his secrets

The money

A taxi from Lincoln

The diaries

A diaryshaped life

Absences

Clergy

Association

Timeline

Family

‘Without hope of unity’

Foreword

125

131

139

154

89

101

109

115

67

77

83

57

53

29

21

15

11

4

9

‘Election excitement’

CONTENTS

Reading the Michael Collins diaries

‘Murdered by the English today’

‘Taking over Generally’

‘Worked all Day Cleared all arrears’

160

147

3

95

45

37

Endnotes

The truce

London

Coming together, coming apart

The ‘Big Fella’ at the ballet

Acknowledgements

6

FOREWORD

In November 2021, the Mîchae Coîns Dîarîes 1918–1922, were oicîay oaned to the Natîona Archîves by the amîy o the ate Lîam Coîns, a nephew o Mîchae Coîns, and hîs wîe Betty, o Conakîty, County Cork. The handover o the dîarîes took pace at Woodfied near Conakîty, the ancestra home o Mîchae Coîns, a pace he oved and returned to throughout hîs short îe. Thîs deposît, în the context o the State’s Decade o Centenarîes 1912–1923 Commemoratîons Programme, was hugey sîgnîficant or the Natîona Archîves. It not ony recognîsed the statutory roe o the Natîona Archîves în preservîng and protectîng the memory o the State în the orm o îts wrîtten records but ît aso recognîsed the substantîa contrîbutîon made by Mîchae Coîns to the emergence o the Irîsh Free State rom 1916 to hîs death în 1922. One o our most hîstorîca coectîons are the eary Dáî Éîreann papers whîch ofer împortant însîght înto Ireand’s revoutîonary perîod 1918–1923. Amongst these records are those o the then Mînîster o Fînance, Mîchae Coîns. These papers, rom orma correspondence, înterna memos, hastîy wrîtten notes, receîpts and accounts, demonstrate a man not ony commîtted to hîs country and îts pursuît o îndependence but aso an exactîng, precîse and decîsîve man conscîous o the huge responsîbîîty he carrîed în hîs many posîtîons, rom Chaîrman o the Irîsh Provîsîona Government to Commander în Chîe o the Natîona Army.

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We were deîghted thereore that the Coîns amîy deposîted these împortant dîarîes în the Natîona Archîves. We were equay deîghted when Anne Doan and Wîîam Murphy, bîographers o Mîchae Coîns, agreed to come on board as authors o a book that woud expore and respond to the dîarîes în the overa context o the îe o Mîchae Coîns. The authors do not seek to ofer answers or unock prevîous mysterîes, rather they genty wak us through recurrîng themes, moments, peope, ound în the dîary entrîes, openîng up possîbîîtîes, makîng connectîons or oferîng înterpretatîons based on theîr knowedge and însîght înto the man and thîs perîod în our hîstory. Thîs book, based on new prîmary source materîa and comîng în the year o the centenary o the death o Mîchae Coîns în August 1922, has been a abour o ove or many; those o us în the Natîona Archîves, the authors, Wîîam and Anne, and the Coîns amîy. We hope that ît wî aow peope to understand a îtte more o thîs extraordînary man and thîs compex perîod în the îe o the natîon.

Orlaith McBride Director, National Archives

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Mîîtary Servîces Act passed and Coîns moved to Dubîn

London and Coîns joîned

Irîsh Vounteers ounded în

Coîns born at Woodfied, Conakîty, County Cork

Joîned the Irîsh Repubîcan Brotherhood (IRB)

Summer

TIMELINE

November

1906

27 October

24 April

Joîned the Easter Rîsîng, based at GPO

AppoîntedpaîdsecretaryotheIrîshNatîonaAîd & Vounteer Dependents’ Fund (INA&VDF)

Deported and înterned at Staford and then Frongoch Camp

Became a member o the Supreme Councî o the IRB

June

December

March

2 April

20 April

Reeased rom Frongoch Camp

Arrested at Dubîn, reatîng to a speech at Legga, Co. Longord

Became adjutant genera o Irîsh Vounteers

Instructed whîe în Sîgo Gao to gîve baî

ThomasAshedîedonhungerstrîke:Coînsbecame secretary o the Supreme Councî o the IRB

Became dîrector o organîsatîon o the Irîsh Vounteers

Sînn Féîn Árd Fheîs, Coîns eected to the Executîve

1917

January (c.)

January (c.)

July

14 February

16 October

1918

6

1914

1916

May

1916

1908c.

1909

1890

BecamesecretaryotheGeradînesGAACub

Joîned Sînn Féîn

Moved to London to work or the Post Oice Savîngs Bank

25–26 October

25 September

Eected to southern parîament unopposed or Cork

Appoînted a penîpotentîary to Ango-Irîsh Conerence

The truce came înto orce

EectedtonorthernparîamentorSouthArmagh

Addressed Dáî Éîreann, deendîng the Treaty

Sîgned Ango-Irîsh Agreement (The Treaty)

Harry Boand and de Vaera departed or USA

Coîns repaced Boand as presîdent o the IRB

19 September

6 July

May

Dáî Éîreann met or the first tîme

Became mînîster o home afaîrs, Dáî cabînet

22 January

May/June

May (c.)

2 April

Dáî oan aunched

Restoratîon o Order în Ireand Act

30 July

Returned or South Cork unopposed at Genera Eectîon

SFSC confirmed Coîns as candîdate or South Cork

Dáî oan cosed

23 December

21 November

14 September

19 December

6 December

September

1919

Boody Sunday

3 February

7

21 January

December

1918

midyear

Appoînted dîrector o înteîgence o Irîsh Vounteers

Partîcîpated în rescue o Éamon de Vaera rom Lîncon prîson

Coînsappoîntedsecretaryorfinance,Dáîcabînet

Became a member o Sînn Féîn Standîng Commîttee (SFSC)

Ceased to be secretary o INA&VDF

September

9 August

Government o Ireand Act became aw; de Vaera returned to Dubîn

13 May

11 July

24 May

1921

ShootîngsoDMPoicersby‘TheSquad’began

1920

Sîgned pre-eectîon pact wîth de Vaera

Second Craîg–Coîns Pact sîgned

IrîshFreeStateConstîtutîonpubîshed,Genera Eectîon hed, and Coîns re-eected TD

Coîns appoînted ‘Commander-în-Chîe o the army’ at head o three-man ‘War Councî’

Coîns made speech în Cork seen as breakîng the pact

Repubîcan orces în Dubîn surrendered and the fightîng moved beyond the cîty

Coîns kîed at Béa na mBáth, County Cork



1922

22 August

12 July

5 July

28 June

16 June

22 June

20 May

14 June

TIMELINE

Coîns and Kîtty Kîernan became engaged

7 January

Took over Dubîn Caste

March

30 March

Fîrst Craîg–Coîns Pact sîgned

Made a serîes o speeches deendîng the Treaty

Dáî Éîreann approved the Treaty

The antî-Treaty party wîthdrew rom Dáî Éîreann

Appoînted mînîster or finance (Dáî cabînet)

Became chaîrman o the Provîsîona Government o the Irîsh Free State

c.1 January

Sîr Henry Wîson kîed în London

10 January

9 January

14 January

21 January

16 January

Cîvî War began

READING THE MICHAEL COLLINS DIARIES

The pages are not bank. In hîs dîarîes, Mîchae Coîns chose to wrîte partîcuar words, on partîcuar days. Usuay, though not aways, the words are îdentîfiabe. That has not ensured that theîr meanîng îs cear, at east not to us. Amost certaîny each meant somethîng then, to hîm, though even he wî have been conused, have cursed hîs own hand, or have orgotten the întended împort o a phrase ater a tîme. Whîch goes to make them the more întîmatey hîs. O course, he has not made ît easy. These dîarîes that put structure on hîs days, are sîmutaneousy wîthout structure, wîthout a orm that makes them readîy accessîbe to us on the outsîde. In thousands o etters and notes, he tended to împose an order—managîng and organîsîng, hectorîng and reprovîng—but these dîarîes are words în the mîdst o thîngs. They are radîcay dîferent to other sources on Mîchae Coîns. They brîng us nearer, coser than ever maybe, to the buste o hîs îe. Consequenty, thîs book îs not another îe o Mîchae Coîns. It îs, înstead, a journey înto the rave o a source. It mîght have been a dîferent book î he had et us contempatîve dîarîes o the type hîstorîans use when they caîm to see theîr subject’s sou, but these are gnomîc, cryptîc, appoîntment books and demand a dîferent approach. In the chaenge o theîr orm, he makes us ook agaîn. Hîs dîarîes change the ange o vîsîon on Coîns and the wîder revoutîon. These îtte books, whîch ordered out hîs îndîvîdua days, at once speed tîme up and sow ît down. It îs as î someone îs showîng us a newsree, oten too ast and then suddeny too sow. Amîdst a maestrom o work and efort come moments în stunnîng reeze-rame. We get the reentess pace o revoutîon, but aso the sow grînd o îndîvîdua days. We see hîm înteractîng wîth so many peope; he rushes about. Yet he experîences a o ît în the mîdst o the quotîdîan, the persona, and the mundane.

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