Michael Collins

Collins fought in the Easter Rising as a volunteer in the General Post Office garrison. He was captured and interned in Frongoch camp in Wales. The experience radicalized him and he emerged as a key figure in the independence movement.

Collins became Director of Intelligence for the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the War of Independence. He organized a network of spies and assassins, targeting British intelligence agents and police. His methods included the 'Squad' assassination unit.

On November 21, 1920, Collins's 'Squad' assassinated 14 British intelligence officers in Dublin. In retaliation, British forces opened fire on a crowd at a Gaelic football match at Croke Park, killing 14 civilians. The day escalated the conflict.

Collins was a key negotiator of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in London, which established the Irish Free State. He signed the treaty despite personal misgivings, believing it was a stepping stone to full independence. The treaty caused a split in the independence movement.

Collins was killed in an ambush by anti-Treaty IRA forces at Beal na Blath, County Cork, on August 22, 1922. His death was a major blow to the pro-Treaty side and deepened the bitterness of the Irish Civil War.

Collins became Chairman of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State in January 1922. He worked to establish the new state's institutions while facing opposition from anti-Treaty republicans, leading to the Irish Civil War.