num_pages: 200
description: Michael Collins was one of the important leaders of his age in Irish history. His contribution to the founding of the Irish state was immense even by the standards of a talented generation which included politicians of the calibre of Eamon de Valera, Arthur Griffith, Wiliam T. Cosgrave, Richard Mulcahy, Kevin O'Higgins, Patrick McGilligan, Harry Boland, Sean Lemass, Frank Aiken and Sean MacEntee. Collins has generally been portrayed in writing and film as a revolutionary guerilla leader, a military tactician and a figure of great personal charm, courage and ingenuity. This collection of essays challenges that over-simplified view. It is a professional evaluation of Michael Collins and his contribution to the making of the Irish state, which brings to light his multifaceted and complex character. With contributions from many of the leading historians working in the field, and written in an accessible style, the essays make full use of archival material and provide new findings and insights into the life and times of Michael Collins. The contributions examine COllins as Minister of Finance, his role in intelligence, his policy towards the north, his career as Commander-in-Chief, the origins of the Civil War, his relationship with De Valera, and how academics view his place in Irish history. The collection also included two personal memoirs by Fr Gearoid O'Sullivan and Margot Gearty, nephew and niece of Kitty Kiernan, on Collins and the Kiernans of Granard, County Longford. Both shed new light on Kitty and her remarkable sisters. These essays are an important contribution to an understanding of twentieth-century Ireland.
language: English
title: Michael Collins and the Making of the Irish State
publisher: Irish Amer Book Co