Michael Collins died on August 22, 1922. He was thirty-one years old, seeking and end to the Irish Civil War. He had traveled back to Cork, his county of birth, which was where the stronghold of the anti-treaty forces was. The Irish Civil War had been going on for almost two months. Collins was serving as General of the Free State Army, which was the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State. His colleagues were nervous about him going to Cork. The anti-treaty party opposed him because he was an author of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. They thought him a traitor for allowing the British to keep Ireland in the British Commonwealth. But Collins just replied, "Surely, they won't shoot me in my own county," (Soodalter, pg. 46). But he was mistaken. His former comrades in arms, even close friends, plotted to assassinate General Collins while he was in Cork. They shot him dead on August 22, 1922, and he did not see the end of the Irish Civil War. Before he died, he had said, "I'm going to put an end to this bloody war ass soon as possible," (Wikipedia.com).
The War ended May 24, 1923 with the Free State Army gaining victory. The Free State Army had British support throughout the entire War. Even though Collins didn't get the perfect republic he or Irish nationalists fought for, he did all he could to gain as much independence as he could. Ireland still owes him the highest of respect today. From the time he was a teenager, he was fighting for Irish independence. He died as the man who made Ireland. "It is one of the ironies of history that the man who had humbled the British empire and for years eluded its long hand ultimately fell to an Irish bullet," (Soodalter, pg. 55).
The War ended May 24, 1923 with the Free State Army gaining victory. The Free State Army had British support throughout the entire War. Even though Collins didn't get the perfect republic he or Irish nationalists fought for, he did all he could to gain as much independence as he could. Ireland still owes him the highest of respect today. From the time he was a teenager, he was fighting for Irish independence. He died as the man who made Ireland. "It is one of the ironies of history that the man who had humbled the British empire and for years eluded its long hand ultimately fell to an Irish bullet," (Soodalter, pg. 55).