Battle of Dublin

Battle context

The Battle of Dublin opened the Irish Civil War, marking the first armed confrontation between the Provisional Government and the anti-Treaty IRA following six months of mounting tension after the Anglo-Irish Treaty ended the War of Independence. Fought over a week of street battles from 28 June to 5 July 1922, the engagement drew in senior figures on both sides, including Michael Collins and Paddy Daly for the Provisional Government and Cathal Brugha, Oscar Traynor, and Ernie O'Malley for the anti-Treaty forces. Combined casualties across both sides ran into the hundreds, underscoring the intensity of the fighting that inaugurated the conflict. By forcing the issue in the capital, the Provisional Government moved to assert its authority over armed opposition at the outset of the civil war, setting the terms for the wider struggle that would follow across Ireland.