On August 22, 1922, on a lonely road outside Cork City, the general commander of the Irish Army, Michael Collins, was shot dead in an ambush by IRA forces. He died in his home county, among his own people, with his dream of Irish unity unfinished and undone. His death was a disaster. He was about to end the Irish Civil War when he undertook the trip to Cork from Dublin which led to his death. Collins had consulted with senior figures on both sides, with the exception of Éamon de Valera, who had kicked off the war by refusing to accept the treaty which gave 26 counties to the Irish Free State, while six counties remained in Northern Ireland.

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