The Army Mutiny was an Irish Army crisis in March 1924 provoked by a proposed reduction in army numbers in the immediate post- Civil War period.

Garret FitzGerald Garret Desmond FitzGerald (9 February 192619 May 2011) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, economist and barrister who served twice as Taoiseach, serving from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1987. He served as Leader of Fine Gael from 1977 to 1987, and ...

Reflections On The Foundation of the Irish State
'', University College Cork, April 2003 A second grievance concerned the handling of the Northern Boundary problem.The Times, ''The Irish Mutiny. New Commander Of Free State Forces''. 11 March 1924 As the prelude to a coup d'état, the decisions made by influential politicians and soldiers at the time have continuing significance for the Government of Ireland.

National Army

In the early weeks of the Civil War, the National Army comprised 7,000 men. These came mainly from pro-Treaty IRA brigades, especially the Dublin Guard, whose members had personal ties to Michael Collins. They faced around 15,000 anti-Treaty IRA men and Collins recruited experienced soldiers from wherever he could. The army's size mushroomed to 55,000 men, many of whom were Irishmen with combat experience in World War I – 20,000 National Volunteers had joined the British Army on the urgings of Nationalist leader

John Redmond John Edward Redmond (1 September 1856 – 6 March 1918) was an Irish nationalism, Irish nationalist politician, barrister, and Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was best known as lead ...

. Likewise, Irishmen who had served in the British forces accounted for over half of the 3,500 officers.

W.R.E. Murphy William Richard English-Murphy, DSO MC known as W.R.E. Murphy (1890–1975) was an Irish soldier and policeman. He served as an officer with the British Army in the First World War and later in the National Army. In the Civil War he was secon ...

, second-in-command (January–May 1923), had been a lieutenant colonel in the British Army, as had Emmet Dalton. Two more of the senior generals, John T. Prout and J.J. "Ginger" O'Connell, had served in the United States Army. Collins promoted fellow-members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood but was slow to put Squad members in high positions.

Irish Republican Army Organisation

In December 1922, following Collins's death, Liam Tobin formed the Irish Republican Army Organisation (IRAO), taking in Dublin Guard and other Irish Army officers who shared his view that "higher command...was not sufficiently ''patriotic''". President W. T. Cosgrave, head of the government attempted to appease the IRAO. He met with them several times before the

September 1923 Election The following elections occurred in the year 1923. Asia * China presidential election * Hong Kong sanitary board election * Persian legislative election * India ** Madras Presidency legislative council election ** general election * Palesti ...

and persuaded the opposing IRB faction of generals under Richard Mulcahy to keep quiet. The Times, ''Irish Mutiny. Officers Abscond With Arms'', 10 March 1924 With the election over, Mulcahy now ignored the IRAO as he started the process of demobilising 37,000 men. In November, sixty IRA officers mutinied and were dismissed without pay. The IRAO now pressured the Government into establishing a Committee to supervise future demobilisation. The Committee, consisting of Eoin MacNeill, Ernest Blythe, and IRAO sympathiser Joseph McGrath, effectively undermined the authority of the Army Council.

Ultimatum

On 7 March 1924 a representative of the IRAO handed a demand to end demobilisation to W. T. Cosgrave. The ultimatum was signed by senior Army officers, Major-General Liam Tobin and

Colonel Charles Dalton Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of Piracy, pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among ...

. Tobin knew his own position was to be scrapped in the demobilisation. Frank Thorton and Tom Cullen were also involved. That morning 35 men of the 36th Infantry Battalion had refused to parade and the preceding week officers had absconded with arms from Templemore, Gormanstown,

Baldonnel Aerodrome Casement Aerodrome ( ga, Aeradróm Mhic Easmainn) or Baldonnel Aerodrome is a military airbase to the southwest of Dublin, Ireland situated off the N7 main road route to the south and south west. It is the headquarters and the sole airfield of ...

and Roscommon. The immediate response was an order for the arrest of the two men on a charge of mutiny; this caused alarm throughout Dublin when announced. On 8 March General Mulcahy made an announcement to the Army:

Two Army officers have attempted to involve the Army in a challenge to the authority of the Government. This is an outrageous departure from the spirit of the Army. It will not be tolerated...officers and men...will stand over their posts and do their duty today in this new threat of danger in the same wonderful determined spirit that has always been the spirit of the Army.

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

, Thomas Johnson issued a statement of support for the Government. In contrast Minister for Industry and Commerce, Joseph McGrath, whose home Mulcahy ordered to be searched, resigned because of dissatisfaction with the government's attitude to the IRAO officers and support for their perception that the Irish Army treated former

British officers British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

better than former IRA officers. Fearing an incendiary speech by McGrath, Cosgrave first offered the IRAO an inquiry and an amnesty before then taking sick leave thus making Minister for Justice, Kevin O’Higgins, de facto head of the Government.

Kevin O'Higgins

Observers at the time have provided insights into the motivations of Cosgrave and O'Higgins. Cosgrave was an "unpretentious and modest man", O'Higgins "redoubtable". Generals Costello and

MacEoin Mac Eoin, MacEoin or McEoin is an Irish surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Denis MacEoin (born 1949), Irish editor *Gearóid Mac Eoin (born 1929), Irish academic *Seán Mac Eoin (1893–1973), Irish politician *Tomás Mac Eoin (bor ...

recounted that Cosgrave feigned illness, hoping O’Higgins would talk himself into resigning. Mrs Mulcahy and Mrs Cosgrave agreed O'Higgins wanted Cosgrave to resign. On 18 March, 40 armed men assembled at Devlin's Hotel in

Parnell Street Parnell Street () is a street in Dublin, Ireland, which runs from Capel Street in the west to Gardiner Street and Mountjoy Square in the east. It is at the north end of O'Connell Street, where it forms the south side of Parnell Square. History ...

, Dublin. Two lorry loads of troops were sent to surround the premises and a standoff developed with the mutineers. McGrath and Daniel McCarthy were allowed access as intermediaries. O'Higgins moved to resolve the problem. Strong reinforcements were dispatched. Tobin & Dalton were able to escape using an old path of retreat across the roofs, known from the days when Devlin's had been a safehouse for Michael Collins The Times, ''New Irish Army Crisis'', 20 March 1924 The cabinet, already wary of the

Free State Army The National Army, sometimes unofficially referred to as the Free State army or the Regulars, was the army of the Irish Free State from January 1922 until October 1924. Its role in this period was defined by its service in the Irish Civil War, ...

, ordered an inquiry and appointed Garda Commissioner Eoin O'Duffy to the army command. The cabinet demanded the resignation of the army council and the generals resigned.Richard Mulcahy, Oxford DNB The crisis within the army was solved but the government was divided, Richard Mulcahy, the Minister for Defence, resigned and O'Higgins was victorious in a very public power struggle within

Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; "Society of the Gaels") was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. In 1933 it merged with smaller groups to form the Fine Gael party. Origins In 1922 the pro-Treaty G ...

. However the events re-affirmed the subservience of the military to the civilian government of the new state. McGrath and eight other TDs resigned from Cumann na nGaedheal then resigned their seats to contest by-elections, running as the National Party. However, Cumann na nGaedheal won seven of these and Sinn Féin won the other two.

Charlie Dalton

Charlie Dalton had started as an assassin with The Squad along with his brother, Emmet. He followed Michael Collins joining the pro-Treaty side and now held the position of colonel in the Army. Dalton was born in 1903 and grew up around Columba's Road, Drumcondra, Dublin.

References

;Citations ;Sources * {{IRB

Mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

1924 in Ireland Mutinies Conflicts in 1924