Editing Irish Civil War (section)

===Atrocities and executions===
{{Main|Executions during the Irish Civil War}}
[[File:Ballyseedy monument.jpg|thumb|Memorial to the Republican soldiers executed by Free State forces at [[Ballyseedy]], [[County Kerry]], designed by [[Yann Goulet]]]]
On 27 September 1922, three months after the outbreak of war, the Free State's Provisional Government put before the Dáil an Army (Emergency Powers) Resolution endorsing the establishment of military courts and tribunals by the Army Council. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "Public Safety Bill" or "Emergency Powers Act", the Army Resolution was not law, it was a resolution passed by parliament endorsing the measures the pro-treaty army was implementing in the war under martial law since July. Consequently, "Public Safety Act" or "Emergency Powers Act" is not recorded on the Irish Statute book.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1922 |title=Acts of the Oireachtas 1922 |url=https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1922/act |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818111800/https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1922/act/ |website=Irish Statute Book |archive-date=18 August 2024 }}</ref> These pieces of "legislation" are alone the invention of Irish historians.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dungan |first=Myles |author-link=32 mins |date=4 December 2022 |title=RTE The History Show |url=https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/the-history-show/2022/1204/1339952-the-history-show-sunday-4-december-2022/ |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240823145155/https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/the-history-show/2022/1204/1339952-the-history-show-sunday-4-december-2022/ |archive-date=23 August 2024 |access-date=20 August 2024 }}</ref> The fictitious "Acts" nevertheless play an important role in the Irish state's foundation myth, dividing civil war violence into bogus legal and illegal categories. 

The Army Resolution recognised the military courts and tribunals established in the army to impose life imprisonment, as well as the death penalty, for 'aiding or abetting attacks' on state forces, possession of arms and ammunition or explosive 'without the proper authority' and 'looting destruction or arson'.<ref>{{Cite thesis|title=The Government's Executions Policy During the Irish Civil War 1922–1923|url=http://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/4069/1/The_Government's_Executions_Policy_During_the_Irish_Civil_War_1922_-_1923_(Breen_Murphy_-_62129007).pdf|publisher=National University of Ireland Maynooth|date=2010|degree=PhD|language=en|first=Breen Timothy|last=Murphy|pages=70–72, 302–4|access-date=30 April 2019|archive-date=12 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212131245/http://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/4069/1/The_Government%27s_Executions_Policy_During_the_Irish_Civil_War_1922_-_1923_%28Breen_Murphy_-_62129007%29.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The final phase of the Civil War degenerated into a series of atrocities that left a lasting legacy of bitterness in Irish politics. The Free State began executing Republican prisoners on 17 November 1922, when five IRA men were shot by firing squad. They were followed on 24 November by the execution of acclaimed author and treaty negotiator [[Erskine Childers (author)|Erskine Childers]]. In all, out of around 12,000 Republican prisoners taken in the conflict, 81 were officially executed by the Free State.<ref>Murphy, Government Policy of Executions, pp. 299–300.</ref>

The Anti-Treaty IRA in reprisal assassinated TD [[Seán Hales]] on 7 December 1922. The next day four prominent Republicans held since the first week of the war — [[Rory O'Connor (Irish republican)|Rory O'Connor]], [[Liam Mellows]], [[Richard Barrett (Irish republican)|Richard Barrett]] and [[Joe McKelvey]] — were executed in revenge for the killing of Hales. In addition, Free State troops, particularly in County Kerry, where the guerrilla campaign was most bitter, began the [[summary execution]] of captured anti-treaty fighters. The most notorious example of this occurred at [[Ballyseedy]], where nine Republican prisoners were tied to a [[land mine|landmine]], which was detonated, killing eight and only leaving one, [[Stephen Fuller]], who was blown clear by the blast, to escape.{{sfn | Hopkinson | 1988 | p=241}}

The number of "unauthorised" executions of Republican prisoners during the war has been put as high as 153.<ref>Todd Andrews, ''Dublin Made Me'', p. 269</ref> Among the Republican reprisals were the assassination of Kevin O'Higgins's father and W. T. Cosgrave's uncle in February 1923.{{sfn | Hopkinson | 1988 | p=191}}

The IRA were unable to maintain an effective guerrilla campaign, given the gradual loss of support. The [[Catholic Church]] also supported the Free State, deeming it the lawful government of the country, denouncing the IRA and refusing to administer the [[Sacrament]]s to anti-treaty fighters. On 10 October 1922, the Catholic Bishops of Ireland issued a formal statement, describing the anti-treaty campaign as:

{{Blockquote|[A] system of murder and assassination of the National forces without any legitimate authority... the guerrilla warfare now being carried on [by] the Irregulars is without moral sanction and therefore the killing of National soldiers is murder before God, the seizing of public and private property is robbery, the breaking of roads, bridges and railways is criminal. All who in contravention of this teaching, participate in such crimes are guilty of grievous sins and may not be absolved in [[Confession (religion)|Confession]] nor admitted to the [[Holy Communion]] if they persist in such evil courses.<ref>Tim Pat Coogan, ''De Valera'', p. 344</ref>}}

The Church's support for the Free State aroused bitter hostility among some republicans. Although the Catholic Church in independent Ireland has often been seen as a triumphalist Church, a recent study has found that it felt deeply insecure after these events.<ref>{{cite book |last=McMahon |first=Deirdre |title=''The Politician – A Reassessment'' |series=Studies |page=346 |editor=Noel Barber S.J. |date=Winter 1998 |volume=87 |id=348}}</ref>