The man who shot Michael Collins

Wording below is from 2015. See the updated article for 2022 here: https://www.racontour.com/michael-collins-remembered/

On this day 99 years ago, the 22nd of August 1922, Michael Collins was shot and killed in a gun battle at Béal na mBláth. He was 31 years old when he died (this image incorrectly states 30). Half a million people attended his funeral in Dublin. All parties to the conflict, both British and Irish, were temporarily united in grief. In his brief lifetime he had fought the British Empire to a stalemate, negotiated the first Treaty of Independence for Ireland and overseen its transition to democracy. He died paradoxically in an attempt to finally remove the gun from Irish politics. Hear our fascinating audio piece on the man who pulled the fatal trigger and why he kept Ireland's biggest secret right to his grave. 

Told by Nenagh Walking Guide's very own raconteur, Kevin Whelan, Sonny O'Neill surely kept Ireland's biggest secret for the rest of his life. 

RIP Michael Collins: 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922

Find this & many more fascinating podcasts on all things Irish at the Racontour Archive.

#Ireland #MichaelCollins #Bealnablath #Nenagh #secret