The Irish Civil War Finale: Gone but Not Forgotten

"Sadness, anger, horror, pain, silence, trauma – all words that describe the legacy of the Irish Civil War. Although the conflict only lasted eleven months, the trauma of the Civil War can be seen all over this island – North, South, East and West, like a wound that has not healed." - Liz Gillis.From the outbreak of the war, to the Free State offensive in the south, to the clean-up operations in the west, and to the reprisal attacks that marked its conclusion, we've explored the Irish Civil War from beginning to end. We've seen a new Free State army rise up in the remnants of the War of Independence and deal with all the struggles of a new fighting force where none existed before. We've witnessed families torn apart because of allegiances to either the new Pro-Treaty Free State Government or the Anti-Treaty IRA. Close friends turned on each other because of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, leading to targeted attacks, heart-breaking execution orders, and wounds that won't be healed for decades. And so all that's left is to see what happened in those years following the end of hostilities.Join Conor this week as he jumps in to the last episode of his series on the Irish Civil War and how the country tried to heal after months of gruelling war. From the role of the Catholic Church in reconciling past grudges, to how the new government would retain control and quell the violence, and the demobilisation of 30,000 men from the National Army, this episode is all about building a future worthy of the Republic so many fought and died to achieve. We hope you've enjoyed the series to date, and it's time to go out with a bang,This episode was hosted by Conor Daly and joined by Hayley O'Connor and Arron Keegan. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Follow us on our socials! Just search for "That's Old News" on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter/X, or head to the linktree in the podcast's about section and follow us from there!========Chapters:(00:00) Intro(02:03) The effects of the Irish Civil War(08:25) A Strong Democracy, Avoiding Communism and Fascism(15:37) The Role of the Catholic Church(21:59) Government Control and Regaining Control on the Monopoly of Violence(43:01) Issues in the National Army(57:05) Politics(01:16:45) Conclusion and Ireland Today(01:19:48) Post Show Banter========Sources & Further Reading:- Bielenberg, Andy, "The Irish Civil War Fatalities Project: death and killing in the Civil War", available online at https://www.rte.ie/history/civil-war-fatalities/2024/0306/1436312-death-and-killing-in-the-irish-civil-war/- Bielenberg, Andy, and Dorney, John, "Explore the Fatalities Map", available online at https://www.ucc.ie/en/theirishrevolution/irish-civil-war-fatalities-project/explore-the-fatalities-map/- Dorney, John, "The Civil War in Dublin".- Ferriter, Diarmaid, "Between Two Hells".- Ferriter, Diarmaid, "The legacy of the Civil War", available online at https://www.rte.ie/history/the-end-of-the-civil-war/2023/0228/1359432-the-legacy-of-the-civil-war/- History Ireland, "A Century On, How do we View the Civil War?".- History Ireland, "How Many Died and How in the Irish Civil War".- History Ireland, "The Irish Civil War: A Military Analysis".- Hopkinson, Michael, "Green Against Green".- Irish History Podcast, "The Road to War: How the Irish Civil War Started".- Kavanagh, Jack, "The largest losses: National Army casualties in the Civil War", available online at https://www.rte.ie/history/civil-war-fatalities/2024/0220/1433337-the-greatest-losses-national-army-casualties-in-the-civil-war/- Kinsella, Eoin, "The Irish Defence Forces, 1922-2022".- McCarthy, John P., "O'Higgins, Kevin Christopher", available online at https://www.dib.ie/biography/ohiggins-kevin-christopher-a6812- Talking History with Patrick Geoghegan, "The Irish Civil War".- The History of Ireland, "How do we View the Irish Civil War?".