Cedar Lounge Revolution: Discussion on Collins “Northern Offensive” 1922
18. Paddy Healy – May 9, 2020
Daniel Rayner O’Connor – May 10, 2020
So what did Mick and Liam think they were doing? I would suggest that the’ lack of co-ordination, confused orders and con tray action s by Volunteers serving with three army divisions under the influence of the Provisional Government of Southern Ireland were symptoms of a recognition that the northern camping was was unlikely to succeed Its success was not altogether impossible; it put the wind up the NI Government, with Craig on record as believing that the 26 Co. Civil War had saved his regime from collapse.
Collins may well have been pulling the wool over Lynch’ eyes. Politicly Lynch was first and foremost a soldier and a natural fly for the machiavellian Collins’ spider. He could have been assured that more help would be given by the treatyites than was forthcoming.
There is also another possibility that does not exclude the above. Both Collins and Lynch were scared of the revolutionary potential of the Irish workers. On the eve of his fatal trip to Cork, Collins would tell Horace Plunkett that after defeating the Anti-Treaty forces, he would have to deal with the ‘Bolshevists’.(See Margaret Digby, ‘Horace Plunkett’) He was not worried about the official Labour leaders, but there was now a Communist Party in being, not to mention syndicalist outbreaks, particularly in Munster. Of course, the threat was fulfilled no more than the march on the six counties. The occupations were defensive moves to protect workers’ living standards against the bosses’ offensive. Nonetheless, it was perceived.
In these circumstances, it ould have been easy for collins to sell the idea of a united republican front to unite Ireland and recreate the comparative Unity that had existed during the war in the first half of 1921..
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Dr. Nightdub – May 11, 2020
Paddy, you’re overlooking that a key objective for both Collins and Lynch was to avert a final split between pro- and anti-Treaty factions. The northern offensive was glue to hold the two sides together.
Lynch & co played a big role in the arms shipments sent to the north, and several hundred anti-Treaty IRA were sent up from Munster to Donegal to take part in the offensive.
There are papers in Kilmainham Gaol Museum that lay out the strategic objectives for each of the Northern Divisions in the offensive. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see they may as well have been written by Walter Mitty, but that didn’t stop everyone at the time believing in them.
Belleek-Pettigo was the wake-up call.
During the Bellek-Pettigo battle, the British used aircraft! Whatever about Liam Lynch, It is my judgement that Collins always knew that the objectives of the “northern Offensive” -essentially to seize the six counties, were totally unachievable. As Dr Nightclub says it was a device to avoid a split in the IRA. Another way of understanding that was that it was an attempt to buy time to copperfasten partition and the Free State through building up an army with British support.. It also diverted anti-treaty forces from going on the offensive immediately against the Free state forces while those forces were still weak.
Paddy Healy
Dr Nightclub rightly points out that several hundred anti-Treaty IRA were sent up to Donegal to participate in the offensive. They were effectively attacking the northern sub-state to the existence of which Collins had agreed in the Treaty!! Frank Aiken’s deputy told the Bureau of Military History that the Southern Provisional Government ordered Aiken’s division not to participate at the last minute!!!
Surely Lynch should have arrested the Treaty Signatories first and then launched a real genuine “Northern Offensive”!
Never leave an enemy in your rear in a conflict! Three of the Munster leaders were later executed by the Free State (Drumboe Martys)
EWI – May 12, 2020
Frank Aiken’s deputy told the Bureau of Military History that the Southern Provisional Government ordered Aiken’s division not to participate at the last minute!!!
Presumably this is down to the Provisional Government’s uncertainty as to how Aiken’s men, who were part of the so-called ‘neutral IRA’, would jump on the Treaty (when Aiken later still refused to take a side, he and his officers were surprised and arrested in a sneak operation by the National Army. Unsurprisingly, when later rescued they then went anti-Treaty).
I do not understand the veneration of Lynch which some engage in for his Civil War role. His vacillations and general indecisiveness played a large part in leading to the CW and then ensuring the Provisional Government, which carried only a small minority of IRA and other Republican forces, would survive and win it.
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I agree with EWI about Liam Lynch. His opposition to an immediate offensive against the Treaty forces proved fatal. He an other Republican leaders were terrified of the power of the risen people and sought stability above all else. The whole idea of the Northern Offensive was that pro and anti-Treaty forces would join together against the Unionist regime and act in concert. How then could Aiken’s early neutrality on the Treaty explain or justify the order for his division not to participate in the offensive?
Daniel Rayner O’Connor – May 12, 2020
Certainly Beleek-Petigo was a revelationOthers were the ‘Pact’ election result showing hostility to the Anti-Treayites, and the split in the latter’s ranks between Lynch and MacKelvie.
These factors encouraged Collins to believe that he could wipe up the more militant (Four Courts) group without too much trouble. Instead he opened a can of worms.
As to Lynch, he might have won a military victory had he marched on Dublin; whether he could have held it is another matter, particularly given his political allies recording(?) Munster at that time.
EWI – May 12, 2020
PH: How then could Aiken’s early neutrality on the Treaty explain or justify the order for his division not to participate in the offensive?
If a major benefit to the Provisional Government of the so-called ‘Northern Offensive’ was to divert the attentions and energies of those who might oppose them, then Aiken’s being uncommitted might lead (we know, did lead) to a decision that he could possibly still be won over.
his political allies recording Munster at that time.
Rayner, my apologies – I’m not sure what you mean by this
Paddy Healy's Blog 
“The Northern Offensive” May19 1922
The political and military division on the Treaty had already taken place but hostilities in the 26-Counties had not commenced in early 1922 when the following took place: “Eventually concrete plans were laid between Michael Collins and General Liam Lynch, chief-of-staff with the Army Executive wing of the defence forces and one of the ablest field commanders of the entire period, to launch an operation known variously as the “Northern Offensive” or the “May Rising“. Intended to collapse the Stormont dictatorship and harry the UK into renegotiating the more objectionable aspects of the treaty the first attacks by northern-based units against the British Occupation Forces began on the night of Friday the 19th of May, 1922. Unfortunately a lack of coordination, confused orders, and contrary actions by volunteers serving with three army divisions under the influence of the Provisionals(Provisional Government of Southern Ireland) meant that the campaign quickly faltered.” An Sionnach Fionn, Ireland’s Great Betrayal.
In plain language, the northern divisions of the IRA were expected to defeat the British Army, the Unionist government forces, loyalist mobs etc, in addition to protecting the nationalist population which was being subjected to state terrorism. The additional arms supplied by the southern IRA still left the Nothern IRA grossly under-armed for such a task. WE are not just talking about guerilla warfare here. We are talking about battles between armies. Not surprisingly the majority of northern IRA divisions did not take part and the “offensive” failed disastrously.
It is difficult to believe that experienced military figures like Collins and Liam Lynch could believe that such a campaign could even be attempted. What was the real intention?
See Material by An Sionnach Fionn on my blog
Ireland’s Great Betrayal
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