Abstract

This paper examines the foundations of contemporary guerrilla warfare tactics and associates these with the actions and operations of General Michael Collins and the Irish Volunteers throughout the War of Independence (1919–21). Through the critical analysis of archival documents from the War of Independence provided by the Irish Military Archives, the paper analyses the success and nature of these tactics in relation to the fundamental characteristics that are observed within guerrilla warfare. The paper draws comparisons with Vietnam (1955–75), Iraq (2003–11), and Afghanistan (2001–21), in the context of war against a strong hegemonic power.