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July 1st: The newly elected 3rd Dail Eireann / 3rd Irish Assembly of the proposed Irish Free State in the 26 Counties met after forming themselves into a political Party to be known as Cumann na nGaedheal ( The People of the Gael) until 1928, and Timothy Healy was elected as the 1st Governor - General of the Irish Free State. Eoin O Duffy became their Chief of Staff and the 1st Commander of the Garda Siochana / Irish police. Richard Mulcahy, who the Irregular - I.R.A. had been totally against, was to remain the T.D. for Dublin constituencies until 1943 and the Minister of Defence.

July 5th: With the conflict in Dublin against the Anti - Treaty IRA - Irregulars, under the command of Rory O Connor, nearly over the Irish Civil War then flared up in the south and in the west of Ireland, when Liam Lynch now also called on all of the Anti - Treaty IRA - Irregulars to rally to the cause. He had previously headed south - west to his home base in Co. Limerick in the mid - north - west of the Munster Province where his allegiances lay, but eventually due to the flagging fortunes of the Irregular - I.R.A. he would be forced to call a truce. Michael Collins, the previous Chairman of the Irish Provisional Government, had now relinquished his political life in the 3rd Dail Eireann to concentrate on building up the Irish National Army / I.N.A. as the Commander - In - Chief, and he had by now finally run out of patience with the IRA - Irregulars and he ordered them out of the town. As a further sign of the Pro - Treaty general acceptance the Irish National Army / I.N.A. was to grow in strength from 8,000 men to 55,000 by the end of the Irish Civil War.

July 6th: By now 60 Irish men were dead and 300 were wounded in the continuing running battles to clear out the Four Courts beside the River Liffey in Dublin, and also in the surrounding buildings, including Cathal Brugha, who was among them in the Gresham Hotel / Hamman Building, despite the fact that he was taken by the arm twice, and asked to quietly surrender, but instead he continued to fire at a machine gun emplacement, until he was finally shot and died from his wounds 2 days later. Michael Collins commented when he was told of his death, "That he was among the few who have given their all for Ireland and because of his sincerity, he would forgive him anything." Eamonn de Valera and his Anti - Treaty followers, who had also joined in with the Irregular - IRA there, were to now hide out from the Irish Government forces for another 12 months, as the Irish Civil War dragged on. Michael Collins was now the Commander in Chief of the new Irish National Army at Portobello, which he was only to hold onto for the following 6 weeks until his death, as the IRA - Irregulars were still active in the south, the west, the north, and also still in Dublin. They had introduced guerrilla tactics amongst the population, with total disregard for their safety, and the Civil War was to continue on there for the next 3 months. (Meanwhile, the British Imperial Military forces were still stationed in Ireland and were to continue to remain in Ireland until the end of December.)

July 8th: The Irish Government's National Army in a shoot out at Blessington in Co. Dublin, captured another 100 of the IRA - Irregulars and Eamonn de Valera then left Dublin personally, and headed south also to the G.H.Q. of the Irregular - IRA at Clonmel in Co. Tipperary in the north - east of the Munster Province, where he was appointed an Adjutant to Sean Moylan the Irregular - I.R.A.'s Director of Operation. He was to find that the IRA - Irregulars there were very reluctant to fight their former comrades.

July 11th: Wexford City in Co. Wexford in the south - east of Southern Leinster was finally regained by the Irish National Army, and by now Liam Lynch who was in command of the Irregular - I.R.A. in Co. Limerick, in the mid - north - west of the Munster Province, was now trying to negotiate a way out, and was staying with his Southern Division IRA - Irregulars. - Sean Hales who was a member of the 3rd Dail Eireann / 3rd Irish Assembly, and a commander in the Irish National Army was now in opposition to his own brother, Tom Hales, who was Anti - Treaty. Michael Collins was to send Sean Hales on many occasions to the Co. Cork region in Southern Munster, to try and bring about peace there as it was a very strong Anti - Treaty region in the south.

July 16th: Dundalk in Co. Louth in the north - east of Northern Leinster was also regained from the Anti - Treaty IRA-Irregulars as 300 of them were captured there by the Irish National Army.

July 20th: Waterford City in Co. Waterford in the south - east of the Munster Province was now also recaptured from the IRA - Irregulars by the Irish National Army.

July 21st: Limerick City in Co. Limerick in the mid - north - west of the Munster Province, which had been still under the control of Liam Lynch and the Irregular - I.R.A., was also recaptured by the Irish National Army.

July 26th: Dundalk was once again taken over by the IRA - Irregulars, but later on it was to be recaptured once again by the Irish National Army.

July 28th: Michael Collins had sent some of the Irish National Army around by sea to Co. Cork in Southern Munster, so he wrote to his old friend Harry Boland who was Anti - Treaty and a confidant of Eamonn de Valera to give him the chance now to give it all up, as there was no hope as the Irish National Army was now subduing the IRA - Irregulars there both in Co. Kerry and Co. Cork in the south of Munster.

July 31st: Harry Boland was arrested at the Grand Hotel at Skerries in Dublin, where he attempted to escape and was wounded and died within 3 days, but had his last wish granted when he was to buried beside Cathal Brugha.

      This year the Anti - Treaty - Irregular - I.R.A. occupied and then blew up the Mitchelstown Castle in Co. Cork in Southern Munster and the stones from the ruins there were to be used to build the Trappist Monastery at Mount Melleray near Lismore.

                                                                                          +On to 1922 / 6 - August

Situated on the western bank of the Hunter River, midway between Muswellbrook and Denman the doorway to the Heart of Australia's "Horse Capital" in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales., Australia.

John & Sue Markham

RAINBOW FARMS 603 Roxburgh Road., Muswellbrook., 2333.

02 65 479 100 - Fax: 02 65 479 102 E - Mail: www.rainbowfarms@bigpond.com