Death of Collins
Introduction from Chronology
Michael Collins is killed in an
ambush at Béal na mBláth, Co Cork. Collins was 31
years old at the time of his death.
More Detail
There
is a vast amount written about this event, however most of what is written
makes for poor history as it is based on conjecture. Hopkinson reviews
some of the theories that have been put forward about how Collins met his death
and concludes that Collins was probably killed by a bullet from one of the
ambushers, perhaps a ricochet.
Hopkinson
also says that “Collins’s journey south represented a despairing attempt to
mend fences before the war became widespread and embittered. He was
relying again on his old personal and institutional ties, particularly his IRB
colleagues”.
In
a statement typical of the mythology surrounding Collins, Curran says “When the
Big Fellow died, much of the color, excitement and hope that marked the
national revival died with him.”
In
Chapter 7 of their superb biography of Collins Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution (2018), Dolan and
Murphy carry out a detailed review of the theories surrounding Collins’s death
and attempt to demythologise it. This is recommended reading.