Irish War of Independence
Guerrilla war for Irish independence from Britain, 1919–1921.
The conflict known as the Irish War of Independence, or the Anglo-Irish War and Tan War, was a guerrilla campaign from 1919 to 1921. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought against British forces: the British Army, the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), and its paramilitary units, the Auxiliaries and Ulster Special Constabulary (USC). This war formed part of Ireland’s revolutionary period.
The Easter Rising of April 1916, though crushed after a week, shifted public opinion toward independence. In the 1918 general election, Sinn Féin won overwhelmingly. On 21 January 1919, they set up a breakaway government, Dáil Éireann, and declared independence. That same day, IRA volunteers, acting without orders, killed two RIC officers at Soloheadbeg. The conflict grew slowly. For most of 1919, the IRA focused on seizing weapons and freeing prisoners, while the Dáil worked to build a state. In September, the British government outlawed the Dáil across Ireland and banned Sinn Féin throughout the country, escalating the fight. The IRA began ambushing RIC and British Army patrols, attacking barracks, and forcing isolated posts to close. Britain reinforced the RIC with recruits from home—the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries—who gained a reputation for indiscipline and reprisals against civilians, some officially sanctioned. This earned the conflict the nickname “Black and Tan War.” Civil disobedience also played a role, such as Irish railwaymen refusing to move British troops or supplies.
By mid-1920, republicans controlled most county councils, and British authority crumbled across much of the south and west, prompting emergency British powers. Around 300 had died by late 1920, but violence spiked in November. On Bloody Sunday, 21 November 1920, fourteen British intelligence agents were killed in Dublin. Later that day, RIC members fired into a crowd at a Gaelic football match in Croke Park, killing fourteen civilians and wounding sixty-five. A week later, the IRA killed seventeen Auxiliaries in the Kilmichael Ambush in County Cork. In December, Britain declared martial law over much of southern Ireland, and British forces burned central Cork City in retaliation for an ambush. The next seven months saw further escalation: 1,000 people died, and 4,500 republicans were interned.
Quick Facts
- Conflict
- Irish War of Independence
- Part Of
- the Irish revolutionary period
- Location
- Ireland
- Territory
- Creation of the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland / Partition of Ireland / British retain control of Berehaven, Spike Island and Lough Swilly
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The conflict developed gradually after the 1918 general election, in which republican party Sinn Féin won a landslide victory in Ireland. On 21 January 1919, they formed a breakaway government (Dáil Éireann) and declared Irish independence. That day, two RIC officers were killed in the Soloheadbeg ambush by IRA volunteers acting on their own initiative. For most of 1919, IRA activity involved capturing weaponry and freeing republican prisoners, while the Dáil set about building a state. In September 1919, the British government outlawed the Dáil throughout Ireland, and the conflict intensified. The IRA began ambushing RIC and British Army patrols, attacking their barracks and forcing isolated barracks to be abandoned. The British government bolstered the RIC with recruits from Britain—the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries—who became notorious for ill-discipline and reprisal attacks on civilians, some of which were authorised by the British government. Thus the conflict is sometimes called the 'Black and Tan War'.
Reader's Guide
The Irish War of Independence was a pivotal conflict that ended British rule in most of Ireland and led to the creation of the Irish Free State as a self-governing Dominion in 1922, while Northern Ireland remained within the United Kingdom. The war saw about 1,000 people killed and 4,500 republicans interned, with much of the fighting in Munster (particularly County Cork), Dublin, and Belfast. The conflict in north-east Ulster had a sectarian aspect, with a mainly Protestant special constabulary and loyalist paramilitaries attacking Catholics in reprisal for IRA actions; in Belfast almost 500 were killed, most of them Catholics. The ceasefire began on 11 July 1921, and the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on 6 December 1921. Disagreement among republicans over the treaty led to the eleven-month Irish Civil War in June 1922. The Irish Free State awarded 62,868 medals for service during the War of Independence, of which 15,224 were issued to IRA fighters of the flying columns.
Did You Know?
- The conflict is sometimes called the 'Black and Tan War' due to the ill-discipline of British-recruited Black and Tans and Auxiliaries.
- On Bloody Sunday, 21 November 1920, fourteen British intelligence operatives were assassinated, and later that day the RIC fired on a crowd at Croke Park, killing fourteen civilians.
- The Kilmichael Ambush in County Cork saw the IRA kill seventeen Auxiliaries.
- The conflict in Belfast was sectarian, with almost 500 killed, most of them Catholics.
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