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(as of Jul 14, 2025 03:55:02 UTC – Details)
“A brilliant, gripping examination of the counterinsurgency campaign waged by the Irish forces that prevailed in the Irish Civil War – one that only an Irish writer could bring to life so vividly. Gareth Prendergast, a true soldier scholar, has crafted a compelling, exceptionally readable case study.”
General David Petraeus, former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition and US Forced in Afghanistan; former Director of the CIA; co-author of the New York Times’ bestseller, Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Gaza.
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What was achieved by the Free State during the Irish Civil War was remarkable. Within a period of less than a year they raised and equipped a standing National Army of nearly 60,000 soldiers, defeating an insurgency by the anti-Treaty elements of the IRA. Using the counterinsurgency framework of Clear-Hold- Build, and concentrating on the Civil War actions of the National Army in Munster, I will explain how the Free State managed to attain this remarkable achievement.
Outnumbered at the start of the fighting, the Free State overcame the IRA insurgency by utilising a number of key concepts that included the combination of kinetic clearance operations and ‘Good Governance’ stability actions. Ultimately the disintegration of the anti-Treaty IRA occurred because of their inability to gain outright public support and the ability of the Free State to undermine their cause. The Free State also employed a superior force generation strategy using local forces living amongst the population. When these advantages were combined with enhanced Information Operations and the use of superior counterinsurgency tactics, they ultimately brought victory for the National Army.
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Dr Gareth Prendergast is a serving Colonel in the Irish Defence Forces. He has completed seven tours of duty, including the Middle East, the Balkans and Mali. At home he has served in infantry battalions during the ‘Troubles’, and been appointed to various positions in the Command and Staff School and as Director of Logistics. He was awarded a Masters in Military Art & Science from the US Army Command and General Staff College and received his PhD from the History Department at UCC.
Publisher : Eastwood Books
Publication date : 9 April 2025
Language : English
Print length : 314 pages
ISBN-10 : 1916742882
ISBN-13 : 978-1916742888
Item weight : 562 g
Dimensions : 15.6 x 2.01 x 23.39 cm
