Editor:
Michael Collins' death demands a new death investigation. Primary Irish military and archival sources confirm that an ambush of Michael Collins was planned by anti‑Treaty IRA officers, with a document written two days after the killing showing the plan and the element of chance in its execution.
The Collins Papers (1918–early 1922) hold dispatches, forms, and intelligence communications between IRA brigade and battalion officers, and between Michael Collins and General Headquarters staff Military Archives. While the collection does not contain a direct “ambush order” for 22 August 1922, it is the principal military archive for Collins’ period as Director of Intelligence and Adjutant General, and it includes the type of intelligence and operational correspondence that would have recorded such plans.
A newly revealed IRA document, written two days after the ambush, is cited by historian Brian Hanley as showing that: a detailed plan existed to ambush Collins and his party at Béal na Bláth, County Cork. The ambushers initially expected Collins to avoid the spot, but when his convoy returned, a smaller group opened fire.
The document was kept in the papers of Maurice “Moss” Twomey, former IRA Chief of Staff, and was only released to University College Dublin in the 1990s. This confirms that the ambush was planned in advance by anti‑Treaty IRA officers, not a spontaneous attack.
General Liam Deasy, in "Brother Against Brother," recalls meeting Eamon de Valera at Béal na Bláth on the day of the ambush. Deasy said de Valera knew an ambush was being prepared for Collins after his convoy had passed the road to Bandon that morning, and that the plan was for Collins not to leave Cork alive. While this is a witness account, it aligns with the IRA document’s confirmation of pre‑meditation.
The IRA document and witness testimony indicate the ambush was pre‑arranged by anti‑Treaty IRA leaders, not an impromptu attack. The document also notes that the ambushers “got lucky” when Collins’ convoy returned, allowing a smaller group to open fire. Hanley and the published IRA document reject conspiracy theories that Collins was killed by a senior officer or his own gunners.
In summary, the most direct Irish military evidence is the IRA’s own internal document, preserved in Maurice Twomey’s papers and published in Hanley’s IRA history, which confirms that the ambush of Michael Collins at Béal na Bláth was planned in advance by anti‑Treaty IRA officers, with the killing occurring due to a fortunate return of the convoy. The Collins Papers in the Military Archives provide the broader operational and intelligence context for that period.
Noel Horkan
Venice, FL
