The Irish Civil War Part 4: Judges, No Juries, and Executioners

The guerrilla stage of the Irish Civil War has come to an end. With a defeat in conventional warfare and now being scattered to the wind, Anti-Treaty IRA forces are now completely unable to mount an effective resistance against the Free State forces who for months have constantly kept up mounting pressure against their strongholds in the south and west. Clean up operations are now underway to ensure the pacification of the most contested regions throughout this struggle, but the bloodshed is far from over. Punishments and reprisal attacks, effectively tit-for-tat attacks, are in full swing. The darkest moments of the Civil War are about to unfold. The Public Safety Act, better known as the Emergency Powers Act, has been passed. In short, government forces were free to arrest, trial, and ultimately execute those suspected of either being actively involved with Anti-Treaty IRA forces or enabling them to continue their armed resistance against the new Free State. 81 Anti-Treaty prisoners were formally sanctioned and executed by the Army Council, resulting in IRA forces targeting "Big Houses" - symbols of the old Protestant Ascendancy - and prominent TDs who would take their seats in the new, now officially recognised, Dáil Éireann. Join the gang this week for the penultimate episode in Conor's Irish Civil War series as we look at one of the darkest chapters in the history of the history of the Irish Free State and Republic. This episode was hosted by Conor Daly and joined by Arron Keegan and Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Make sure to follow us on social media! Just search for That's Old News on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X!