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Collins was born into a republican family in west [[Cork]], in the south-west of [[Ireland]]; on leaving school he moved to [[London]] where he passed the examinations for the [[British]] civil service and in 1906 joined the Post Office. While in London he joined the local branch of the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]], a sporting organisation closely associated with Irish republican politics, and through his GAA links was inducted into the [[Irish Republican Brotherhood]] (IRB), a republican secret society. He returned to [[Dublin]] in time to participate in the calamitous [[Easter Rising]] of 1916; his experience of the failure of that romantic gesture was to affect his leadership of the IRA during the War of Independence, characterised by ruthlessness and professionalism.
Collins was born into a republican family in west [[Cork]], in the south-west of [[Ireland]]; on leaving school he moved to [[London]] where he passed the examinations for the [[British]] civil service and in 1906 joined the Post Office. While in London he joined the local branch of the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]], a sporting organisation closely associated with Irish republican politics, and through his GAA links was inducted into the [[Irish Republican Brotherhood]] (IRB), a republican secret society. He returned to [[Dublin]] in time to participate in the calamitous [[Easter Rising]] of 1916; his experience of the failure of that romantic gesture was to affect his leadership of the IRA during the War of Independence, characterised by ruthlessness and professionalism.
Collins was not the nominal head of the IRA: its Chief of Staff was Richard M<ulcahy and the Minuister of Defence in the underground [[Dail Eirrean]] (republican Irish Parliament) was Cathal Brugha. However, he was able to dominate the movement through his leadership of the IRB and his role as head of intelligence in the IRA.
Collins supported the December 1921 treaty with [[Great Britain]] that saw the creation of teh Irish Free State and led the newly-constituted Free State Army against dissident members of the IRA (which was supported by [[Eamon de Valera]]). While visiting Free State forces in Cork in July-August 1922 (and allegedly seeking a truce with the Anti-Treaty IRA), the column in which Collins was travelling was caught in an ambush on 22 August, and he was shot dead in the crossfire.
[[Category:Ireland]]
[[Category:Ireland]]