The War of Independence and the Civil War, county by county
From Soloheadbeg in January 1919 to the end of the Civil War in May 1923: 96 events in 32 counties, each with its date, a short note and the source it comes from. Where accounts differ, the entry says so.
How many died — and who counted
War of Independence: 2,346 The Dead of the Irish Revolution (O'Halpin and Ó Corráin, 2020), as cited in Wikipedia's Irish War of Independence article. 919 civilians, 523 police, 413 British military, 491 IRA (another source gives 550 IRA dead); counts some deaths from 1917 to the end of 1921.
Civil War: 1,485 the 2023 Irish Civil War Fatalities Project (University College Cork), as cited in Wikipedia's Irish Civil War article. 1,426 within the Free State; 637 pro-Treaty fatalities and 426 anti-Treaty IRA. A 2012 county-by-county study suggested just under 2,000; older figures as high as 4,000 are generally accepted to be too high. The anti-Treaty toll may have been higher.
Northern Ireland, 1920–1922: 557 Wikipedia's The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922): killed within Northern Ireland 1920–1922: 303 Catholics, 172 Protestants and 82 police and British Army; 455 of them in Belfast. The same article elsewhere says more than 500 were killed in Belfast alone, so its figures are not fully consistent.
The three counts overlap in time and are not to be added together. Figures for single events below are those of the article linked from each one.
58 War of Independence, 11 Truce-period and 27 Civil War events; 7 marked as disputed.
Antrim
Belfast shipyard expulsions · 21 July 1920 · War of Independence Loyalists drove about 8,000 Catholic and Protestant labour-activist workers from the shipyards and mills; three days of rioting followed in which the article says eleven Catholics and eight Protestants were killed.
Swanzy shooting and the Lisburn burnings · 22 August 1920 · War of Independence The IRA shot RIC Inspector Oswald Swanzy in Lisburn; Catholic homes and businesses in the town were then burned and about 1,000 Catholics fled.
Belfast's Bloody Sunday · 10 July 1921 · War of Independence After an IRA ambush of police on Raglan Street hours before the Truce, a day of violence followed; the article says twenty people were killed.
McMahon killings · 24 March 1922 · Truce and Treaty months Six Catholic civilians were shot dead in the McMahon home in Belfast; survivors said most gunmen wore police uniforms, and the USC is suspected. No one was charged.
Arnon Street killings · 1 April 1922 · Truce and Treaty months Six Catholic men and boys were killed in Belfast; it is believed police carried out the attack after an IRA killing of an RIC officer.
Newtownhamilton barracks attack · 9 May 1920 · War of Independence About 200 IRA volunteers under Frank Aiken breached and stormed the RIC barracks after a two-hour fight.
Adavoyle train derailment · 24 June 1921 · War of Independence An IRA bomb derailed a train carrying the King's escort of the 10th Hussars; five soldiers and a train guard were killed.
Altnaveigh: four Catholic men killed · 6 July 1921 · War of Independence Disguised Special Constables raided homes and killed four Catholic civilian men.
Altnaveigh: six Protestant civilians killed · 17 June 1922 · Truce and Treaty months One of Frank Aiken's IRA units attacked Protestant homes and shot dead six civilians, after Special Constables killed two Catholic men at Lislea on 13 June.
Crossdoney · 29 May 1920 · War of Independence IRA volunteer Thomas Sheridan was shot dead trying to disarm two RIC men; the chronology says he was one of only three IRA volunteers killed in Cavan during the war.
Lappanduff Hills · 8 May 1921 · War of Independence British troops and Auxiliaries surrounded an IRA training camp of the Belfast Brigade; one volunteer was killed and eleven captured.
Bailieborough barracks taken · 9 July 1922 · Civil War Anti-Treaty fighters took the Free State barracks and its arms.
Rineen ambush · 22 September 1920 · War of Independence The Mid Clare Brigade killed six RIC officers in a lorry; in reprisal, police and soldiers killed five civilians and burned 16 houses and shops in nearby villages.
Tooreen ambush · 22 October 1920 · War of Independence The 3rd Cork Brigade ambushed two army lorries near Ballinhassig, killing three soldiers; soldiers later went on a rampage in Bandon.
Kilmichael ambush · 28 November 1920 · War of Independence Thirty-six IRA volunteers under Tom Barry killed sixteen Auxiliaries; three IRA men died. Disputed: Barry's account of an Auxiliary 'false surrender', and whether Auxiliaries were killed after surrendering, are disputed by historians (notably Peter Hart, Meda Ryan, Niall Meehan and Eve Morrison).
Burning of Cork · 11–12 December 1920 · War of Independence After an IRA ambush at Dillon's Cross, Auxiliaries, Black and Tans and soldiers burned homes and much of the city centre, including City Hall and the Carnegie Library.
Upton train ambush · 15 February 1921 · War of Independence An IRA attack on a train carrying soldiers; three IRA volunteers and at least eight civilian passengers were killed.
Clonmult · 20 February 1921 · War of Independence Crown forces surrounded IRA volunteers in a farmhouse; twelve volunteers were killed. The article counts 22 deaths in all, including later executions and the killing of suspected informers. Disputed: What happened after the volunteers offered to surrender is disputed between the British report and the survivors' accounts.
Coolavokig ambush · 25 February 1921 · War of Independence A 1st Cork Brigade column fought a four-hour battle with Auxiliaries between Macroom and Ballyvourney; ten Auxiliaries were killed, including Major Grant.
Clonbanin ambush · 5 March 1921 · War of Independence Cork and Kerry IRA under Seán Moylan attacked an army convoy; Colonel Commandant Cumming was among four soldiers killed.
Crossbarry · 19 March 1921 · War of Independence About a hundred IRA volunteers under Tom Barry broke out of an encirclement by about 1,200 British troops; ten soldiers and three IRA volunteers were killed.
Rathcoole ambush · 16 June 1921 · War of Independence The 2nd Cork Brigade attacked an Auxiliary convoy; the article gives 2 Auxiliaries killed and 14 wounded. Two IRA volunteers were killed by Auxiliaries in the days after.
Dunmanway killings · 26–28 April 1922 · Truce and Treaty months Fourteen males were killed or disappeared around Dunmanway and the Bandon valley; thirteen were Protestants. Disputed: Whether the motive was sectarian or the victims were targeted as suspected informers is debated by historians.
Landing at Passage West · 8 August 1922 · Civil War Emmet Dalton landed about 800 Free State troops with artillery, with smaller landings at Youghal and Glandore.
Béal na Bláth · 22 August 1922 · Civil War Michael Collins, Chairman of the Provisional Government and commander of the National Army, was killed in an ambush by anti-Treaty IRA.
Derry riots · June 1920 · War of Independence A week of sectarian fighting and shooting; the article says at least nineteen were killed that week (14 Catholics, five Protestants) and about forty by the end of the trouble, after troops and martial law arrived on 23 June.
Barnesmore Gap · 12 January 1921 · War of Independence The IRA ambushed a troop train carrying 150 soldiers; several soldiers were wounded.
Pettigo and Belleek · May–June 1922 · Truce and Treaty months IRA forces held the Belleek–Pettigo salient; British troops shelled and took Pettigo on 4 June and Belleek on 8 June. Newspaper reports put IRA dead at seven and the total as high as 30.
Drumboe executions · 14 March 1923 · Civil War Charlie Daly, Seán Larkin, Daniel Enright and Timothy O'Sullivan, held at Drumboe Castle since January, were shot by Free State troops in reprisal for the death of a soldier in an ambush.
Crossgar barracks attack · 1 June 1920 · War of Independence At least 200 IRA volunteers led by Roger McCorley attacked the RIC barracks.
Banbridge and Dromore burnings · July 1920 · War of Independence After the IRA killed Colonel Smyth, a Banbridge native, in Cork, Catholic homes and businesses were burned and the article says virtually the whole Catholic population of both towns fled.
Sack of Balbriggan · 20 September 1920 · War of Independence Black and Tans burned more than fifty homes and businesses and killed two local men after the shooting of two police officers.
Bloody Sunday · 21 November 1920 · War of Independence The IRA killed or fatally wounded 15 men, most of them British officers, in the morning; that afternoon police fired on the crowd at Croke Park, killing or fatally wounding 14 civilians. More than 30 died that day.
Burning of the Custom House · 25 May 1921 · War of Independence Over 100 IRA volunteers set fire to the Custom House; five volunteers and three civilians were killed and about 80 volunteers captured.
Battle of Dublin · 28 June – 5 July 1922 · Civil War Provisional Government forces shelled the anti-Treaty garrison in the Four Courts, opening the Civil War; fighting moved to O'Connell Street, where Cathal Brugha was killed.
Mountjoy executions · 8 December 1922 · Civil War Rory O'Connor, Liam Mellows, Dick Barrett and Joe McKelvey, captured at the Four Courts, were executed in reprisal for the killing of Seán Hales. The timeline calls this an illegal act, as they were captured before the emergency legislation.
Roslea burnings · 21 February 1921 · War of Independence After the shooting of a USC officer, Special Constables and UVF men burned ten nationalist homes and a priest's house; on 21 March the IRA attacked USC homes in the district, killing three.
Belcoo barracks · 28 March 1922 · Truce and Treaty months About fifty IRA volunteers crossed the border and took the RIC barracks after a three-hour battle; fifteen officers were held across the border until July.
Eileen Quinn shot at Kiltartan · 1 November 1920 · War of Independence A pregnant woman holding a child outside her house near Gort was shot from a passing police lorry; the military inquiry found 'death by misadventure'.
The Loughnane brothers · late November 1920 · War of Independence IRA volunteers Patrick and Harry Loughnane were taken and killed by Auxiliaries at Drumharsna; their bodies were found more than a week later.
Tuam executions · 11 April 1923 · Civil War Six republican prisoners were executed by firing squad at Tuam barracks.
Siege of Tralee · 1–9 November 1920 · War of Independence After the IRA killed two RIC constables, Black and Tans imposed a curfew on Tralee, burned buildings and fired in the streets.
Headford ambush · 21 March 1921 · War of Independence The 2nd Kerry Brigade attacked a troop train at Headford Junction; the article gives at least 13 killed, nine soldiers, two IRA and three civilians. Disputed: The IRA claimed twenty soldiers killed; the British reported eight, according to the chronology.
Landing at Fenit · 2 August 1922 · Civil War About 800 Free State troops, including the Dublin Guard, landed and fought their way into Tralee.
Knocknagoshel · 6 March 1923 · Civil War Five Free State soldiers were killed by a booby-trap mine in a republican dugout.
Ballyseedy · night of 6–7 March 1923 · Civil War Nine republican prisoners were tied to a mine by Free State troops; eight died and Stephen Fuller survived. A Free State army inquiry cleared the troops; the article calls it a whitewash. Similar killings followed at Countess Bridge near Killarney and at Cahersiveen (12 March). Disputed: Sources disagree on the date (the inquiry says 8 March) and on the number killed at Countess Bridge (four or five).
Kill ambush · 21 August 1920 · War of Independence An RIC patrol was ambushed; one officer was killed and another fatally wounded, the first such attack in the county.
Curragh executions · 19 December 1922 · Civil War Seven anti-Treaty IRA men from Kildare were executed in the Curragh Camp.
Nine Mile House ambush · 20 December 1920 · War of Independence The West Kilkenny IRA ambushed an RIC and army patrol; the chronology says eight soldiers and a constable were killed.
Kilkenny city occupied · 2 May 1922 · Truce and Treaty months Around 300 anti-Treaty fighters took over the centre of Kilkenny, including Kilkenny Castle.
Cappard House · 15 July 1922 · Civil War National Army troops took the house where anti-Treaty forces were billeted; five republicans were reported killed.
Portlaoise executions · 27 January 1923 · Civil War Joseph Byrne and Patrick Geraghty, commanders of the Offaly IRA, were executed in Portlaoise.
Sheemore ambush · 4 March 1921 · War of Independence The South Leitrim Brigade attacked a British convoy near Carrick-on-Shannon; the British admitted one death, local sources claimed more.
Selton Hill · 11 March 1921 · War of Independence Auxiliaries surprised an IRA flying column; six South Leitrim volunteers were killed, among them Seán Connolly.
Drumshanbo barracks · September 1922 · Civil War Republicans seized the Free State barracks after an ambush.
Rescue at Knocklong · 13 May 1919 · War of Independence IRA men freed Seán Hogan from a train at Knocklong station; two RIC officers were killed.
Dromkeen ambush · 3 February 1921 · War of Independence East and Mid Limerick columns ambushed an RIC patrol, killing 11 policemen, two of them after capture; ten homes were burned in reprisal.
Battle of Kilmallock · 25 July – 5 August 1922 · Civil War One of the largest engagements of the Civil War: ten days of fighting round Kilmallock, with anti-Treaty troops dug in at Bruff, Bruree and Patrickswell; it ended with anti-Treaty forces withdrawing.
Ballinalee · 4 November 1920 · War of Independence IRA men under Seán Mac Eoin drove off Black and Tans and Auxiliaries who had come to burn the village.
Clonfin ambush · 2 February 1921 · War of Independence Mac Eoin's column ambushed Auxiliaries, killing four; British forces then burned houses and shot dead an elderly farmer.
Ardee · 30 November 1920 · War of Independence Two IRA volunteers were taken from their homes and killed by unidentified British forces.
Dundalk · 16 July – August 1922 · Civil War Free State troops took Frank Aiken and 300–400 of his men prisoner on 16 July; on 27 July the anti-Treaty IRA blew the prison wall and freed 106 prisoners, Aiken among them.
Tourmakeady · 3 May 1921 · War of Independence The South Mayo Brigade under Tom Maguire attacked an RIC supply patrol; four police and two IRA volunteers were killed.
Kilmeena ambush · 19 May 1921 · War of Independence The West Mayo IRA was defeated; five volunteers and three police were killed.
Carrowkennedy ambush · 2 June 1921 · War of Independence Michael Kilroy's column ambushed an RIC patrol near Westport; seven police died and the rest surrendered.
Battle of Newport · November 1922 · Civil War Free State forces took the republican stronghold of Newport and captured Michael Kilroy; most anti-Treaty fighters escaped.
Shantonagh barracks · 15 February 1920 · War of Independence Thirty IRA volunteers led by Ernie O'Malley and Eoin O'Duffy captured the RIC barracks near Castleblayney.
Clones railway station · 11 February 1922 · Truce and Treaty months The IRA stopped armed Special Constables on a train; IRA commandant Matt Fitzpatrick and four Special Constables were killed. The article says more than 30 people were killed in Belfast in the three days after.
Coolacrease · 30 June 1921 · War of Independence The IRA shot Richard and Abraham Pearson, sons of a Protestant farmer, and burned their house, after IRA men came under fire at a roadblock on the farm's boundary. Disputed: The motive and circumstances were the subject of a contested 2007 RTÉ programme and continuing debate.
Birr executions · 26 January 1923 · Civil War Three young men with republican links were executed in Birr for armed robbery.
Ballinderry ambush · 12 October 1920 · War of Independence Four RIC officers were killed.
Scramoge ambush · 23 March 1921 · War of Independence The IRA ambushed a lorry near Strokestown; three soldiers and an RIC officer were killed and two captured Black and Tans were shot dead afterwards.
Boyle · July 1922 · Civil War Republicans attacked Free State-held buildings; they left when Seán Mac Eoin arrived with troops and an 18-pounder gun.
Moneygold ambush · 25 October 1920 · War of Independence Four RIC officers of a nine-man patrol were killed and two wounded.
Rockwood · 13 July 1922 · Civil War Anti-Treaty IRA from Mayo ambushed pro-Treaty troops, killing five and taking two armoured cars, then occupied Collooney.
The Benbulben six · 20 September 1922 · Civil War Six anti-Treaty IRA men, among them Séamus Devins TD and Brian MacNeill, were killed by Free State forces on the slopes of Benbulbin. Disputed: The Benbulbin article says they were killed 'allegedly after they had surrendered'.
Soloheadbeg · 21 January 1919 · War of Independence Volunteers acting without authorisation killed two RIC officers escorting gelignite, on the day the First Dáil met; often seen as the first engagement of the war.
Clonmel barracks seized · 18 February 1922 · Truce and Treaty months Anti-Treaty IRA under Ernie O'Malley took an RIC barracks, 40 police prisoners and 600 rifles.
Roscrea executions · 15 January 1923 · Civil War Four anti-Treaty IRA men were executed in Roscrea.
Dromore ambush · 6–7 April 1921 · War of Independence An RIC officer was killed and four wounded in an IRA ambush.
Pomeroy barracks · March 1922 · Truce and Treaty months The IRA raided the police barracks and took rifles, revolvers and ammunition, with no casualties.
Piltown Cross ambush · 1 November 1920 · War of Independence The West Waterford column under George Lennon ambushed troops at Kinsalebeg; one soldier was killed and six wounded.
Pickardstown ambush · 6 January 1921 · War of Independence An attack near Tramore went wrong; two IRA men were killed.
Burgery ambush · 18–19 March 1921 · War of Independence The IRA ambushed a convoy near Dungarvan; two IRA volunteers and a constable were killed and a captured RIC sergeant was later shot as a 'police spy'.
Fall of Waterford · 20 July 1922 · Civil War Free State troops under General Prout crossed the Suir by boat and took the city with artillery.
Glasson · 20 June 1921 · War of Independence The IRA ambushed a party returning from a tennis party near Athlone; Colonel Commandant Thomas Lambert died of his wounds.
Death of Brigadier Adamson · 25 April 1922 · Truce and Treaty months National Army brigadier-general George Adamson was shot dead in Athlone in what the timeline calls suspicious circumstances.
St Kearns explosion · October 1920 · War of Independence Five IRA volunteers were killed when explosives being prepared for an attack on Foulksmills barracks went off accidentally.
Enniscorthy · July 1922 · Civil War Ernie O'Malley's anti-Treaty fighters took Enniscorthy; republicans abandoned it and New Ross on 8 July.
Rathdrum · 11 February 1920 · War of Independence Séamus O'Brien, commander of the Wicklow Brigade, was shot dead attacking an RIC patrol.
Blessington · July 1922 · Civil War Free State troops broke up the anti-Treaty concentration from Dublin, taking prisoners at Brittas and Ballymore Eustace.
Erskine Childers captured · 11 November 1922 · Civil War The republican head of propaganda was taken at Annamoe; he was executed on 24 November.
Quick answersHow many people died in the War of Independence?
2,346, according to The Dead of the Irish Revolution (O'Halpin and Ó Corráin, 2020), as cited in Wikipedia's Irish War of Independence article: 919 civilians, 523 police, 413 British military, 491 IRA (another source gives 550 IRA dead); counts some deaths from 1917 to the end of 1921.
How many people died in the Irish Civil War?
1,485 on the island of Ireland, according to the 2023 Irish Civil War Fatalities Project (University College Cork), as cited in Wikipedia's Irish Civil War article. 1,426 within the Free State; 637 pro-Treaty fatalities and 426 anti-Treaty IRA. A 2012 county-by-county study suggested just under 2,000; older figures as high as 4,000 are generally accepted to be too high. The anti-Treaty toll may have been higher. 81 republican prisoners were officially executed by the Free State.
Where did the War of Independence begin?
At Soloheadbeg, County Tipperary, on 21 January 1919, when Volunteers acting on their own initiative killed two RIC constables escorting explosives, on the day the First Dáil met. Wikipedia says it is often seen as the first engagement of the war.
What happened at Ballyseedy?
On the night of 6–7 March 1923, after five Free State soldiers were killed by a booby-trap mine at Knocknagoshel, nine republican prisoners were tied to a mine at Ballyseedy crossroads near Tralee; eight were killed and one, Stephen Fuller, survived. An army inquiry cleared the troops; Wikipedia describes it as discredited.
This is a selection, not a full record: a county with two or three entries saw far more than that, and the list leans towards events with their own article. Notes keep to what the source says happened. Where the source reports a claim from one side, we name it as a claim, and contested accounts (Kilmichael, Clonmult, Dunmanway, Coolacrease, Benbulbin and others) are marked. The Truce began on 11 July 1921; the Civil War is dated here from 28 June 1922. Events in Northern Ireland after the Truce are labelled by date only.