How the Free State won the Irish Civil War.

What was achieved by the Free State during the Irish Civil War was remarkable. Within a period of less than a year they raised and equipped a standing National Army of nearly 60,000 soldiers, defeating the anti-Treaty elements of the IRA. Using the counterinsurgency framework of Clear-Hold-Build, I will examine, analyse and explain how the Free State managed to attain this remarkable achievement. Outnumbered at the start of the fighting, the Free State overcame an IRA insurgency by utilising a number of key concepts that will be explained throughout this thesis. These concepts include the combination of kinetic clearance operations and ‘Good Governance’ stability actions. They also include; the use of locally recruited soldiers combined with experienced Irish veterans from World War I; the ability to generate, train and equip a new standing National Army to counter and gain combat power over the IRA; the capacity to become an adaptive learning organisation, to reform, reorganise and reconsolidate against IRA tactical gains; and finally the ability to foster trust with the local population, enhancing the information sharing nexus and undermining the IRA cause. All of these concepts will be explained and examined through analysing the successful counterinsurgency campaign executed by the Free State during the Irish Civil War.

Author Bio
Dr Gareth Prendergast is a serving Colonel in the Irish Defence Forces with over 30 years’ service. He has seven operational tours of duty overseas including the Middle East, Balkans and Mali. At home he has served in Infantry Battalions on the Irish Border during the ‘Troubles’, in Kilkenny and Dublin. He has also served in the Military College and Defence Force Headquarter on numerous occasions, including appointments in the Command and Staff School, OIC Military Finance Branch and Director of Logistics. Academically he has a Masters of Military Art and Science from his year spent on the US Army Command and General Staff Course in Fort Leavenworth Kansas and he recently achieved his Doctorate (PhD) after six years study and research in the History Department of UCC.