A named leader in the struggle for Irish independence, 1900 – 23: Michael Collins
Michael Collins was a leader in the struggle for Irish independence. He was born in Clonakilty in West
Cork. He worked for a while in London, then came back to Ireland and fought in the ___________.
After the Rising, he was held in Frongoch Camp in Wales. Here he showed his abilities as a leader.
When he was released from jail, he built up the __________________________________ and
became its president. He was also involved with Sinn Fein and the Irish Volunteers. He warned
_________ and other Sinn Fein leaders about the British government’s plans to arrest them in the
so-called ___________ in 1918, but de Velera did not take Collins’ advice and was arrested. Collins
was made ___________________ in the Dail government in 1919. He organised the _________,
which raised £350,000. He also organised the escape of de Valera from Lincoln jail.
During the War of Independence, Collins was ________________________ for the IRA and that is
how he organised a spy network. He was a wanted man by the British government, but they failed to
capture him. His _____ - a team of trained killers – killed a group of British spies on the morning of
_____________. This led to the ______________ attacking a football match in Croke Park, killing 12
people.
After the War of Independence, Collins was part of the Sinn Fein team which negotiated the
__________________. He knew the terms of the Treaty would not be acceptable to some
republicans and that is why he said that he had signed his death warrant. In the Treaty debates, he
argued that the Treaty was a ______________ to independence. The Treaty was carried by 64 votes
to 57.
After the Treaty vote, Collins was head of the _______________________ and the British handed
over power to him. But relations between the Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty sides got worse. When the
Anti-Treaty forces took over the ___________ in the centre of Dublin and kidnapped a Free State
general, Collins was on a trip to West Cork, he was killed in an ambush in ______________ on his
return. His death was a major blow as it deprived the country of an outstanding leader.
Use these words to fill in the blanks:
German Plot
Bloody Sunday
Director of Intelligance
Black and Tans
IRB (Irish Republican
Brotherhood)
Four Courts
Four Courts
Anglo-Irish Treaty
1916 Rising
De Valera
Stepping Stone
Squad
Dail Loan
Provisional
government
Minister of Finance