An Post Centenary of the Death of Michael Collins

AN POST on 18 August 2022  commemorated the centenary of the death of Michael Collins, one of the most iconic figures in Irish history.

Following an ambush in County Cork on 22 August 1922, Collins was killed by anti-Treaty forces at Béal na mBláth aged 31. He was then head of the Provisional Government of the fledgling Irish Free State and Commander-in-Chief of the National Army.

Collins played a pivotal role in the War of Independence as director of intelligence for the IRA. Aide-de-camp to Joseph Plunkett during the 1916 Easter Rising, he quickly rose through the ranks of the independence movement and was one of the signatories to the Anglo-Irish Agreement in December 1921. He strongly advocated for its approval in the Dáil and in the lead-up to the onset of the Civil War.

Michael Collins’ death on 22 August 1922 was the highest profile casualty of the Irish Civil War, which arose over the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

The design of the An Post stamp featured a photo of him in military uniform taken by C. and L. Walsh and was reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.

Source: An Post