For the first few weeks of the talks that lead to the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the Irish delegation lead by Michael Collins enjoyed the better of the exchanges with the British. However, the negotiations began to turn and ended up with, as Collins famously expressed, the signing of his own death warrant, writes UCC historian Gabriel Doherty

Though the Treaty of 1921 gave Ireland an independence that had eluded previous generations, the oath of fidelity to the British king was seen by many as a betrayal, write UCC's Mícheál Ó Fathartaigh and Liam Weeks

Alderman Tadhg Barry was shot three weeks before the signing of the Treaty. We don't know how he would have responded to the Treaty and the split, but he would have acted in a way he thought best for the cause of social justice

After a presence that had lasted for centuries, the British military withdrawal from the 26 counties that became the Free State was effectively over in months, writes John Gibney

With the signing of the Treaty, the World Congress of the Irish Race - designed to be an extravagant showcase of the solidarity and common purpose of the Irish race in the face of British aggression - was attended by pro- and anti-Treaty representatives and ended as a diplomatic embarrassment, Helene O’Keeffe

Opposition among Sinn Féin, Cumann na mBan, and the IRA to the Irish Free State’s dominion status within the British empire after the signing of the Anglo Irish Treaty led tothe Civil War, writes John Borgonovo

The unveiling of the memorial at a grave of 13 IRA members executed by the British was an important day for University College Cork, writes Margaret Lantry

Dr Helene O’Keeffe surveys some of the main events during a ‘black year’ in Irish history.

MARK BULIK tells the peculiar story of a freedom fighter, spy, and informer all wrapped-up in one during the War of Independence. 

Dr Donal Ó Drisceoil explains how the Sinn Féin effectively won the battle for hearts and minds during the War of Independence and how the Propaganda war was just as significant as the military conflict