Solving the Murder of Michael Collins The Conclusive Evidence

The evidence below is new and corroborates prior evidence from over the last 100 years. All of the evidence is consistent and points in the same direction. The great efforts made to cover up and conceal facts so as to misdirect people away from this evidence and the evidence –based conclusion serves to add further credibility to the conclusion. The weight of evidence points to Emmet Dalton, a Free State army officer, who accompanied Michael Collins in the car.

Emmet Dalton’s Confession

Emmet Dalton was an ex British soldier who was highly decorated and had links to senior British military and intelligence. We will examine the evidence below.

1. In 1987 a nephew of Emmett Dalton’s signed an affidavit to the effect that his uncle told him before he died that he had shot Collins with a Lugar pistol. He also claimed Dalton’s part in the death of his Commander-in-Chief is outlined in Dalton’s diary.

Sources: Viewable at the National Library of Ireland

MS 44,104 /2 Photocopy affidavit signed by Simon Joseph Dalton, nephew of Emmet Dalton stating that his uncle shot Michael Collins; 1 p 1987

MS 44,104 /3 Interview with Larry Murphy, solicitor concerning the alleged shooting of Collins by Emmet Dalton and affidavit of Simon Joseph Dalton; 4 pp 1989 https://www.nli.ie/pdfs/mss%20lists/130 SeanOMahony.pdf

2. In 1975, a man named Robert Flynn swore an oath and said he was part of the Collins party and that he saw Emmet Dalton shoot Collins in the touring car.

Sources: MS 44,103 /1 ‘Statement under personal oath’ made by Robert Flynn concerning the circumstances surrounding the death of Collins. Includes copy of his birth and baptismal certificate and typescript notes on the statement; 6 pp 1904, 1977 & undated

https://www.nli.ie/pdfs/mss%20lists/130_SeanOMahony.pdf

and ‘Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution’ written by Historians Dolan and Murphy provide evidence that Emmet Dalton shot Michael Collins https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Collins-Revolution-Anne Dolan ebook /dp/B07JNCLFT8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

3. Neil Jordan in his book, ‘Michael Collins: Screenplay and Film Diary’, states that Michael Keating, the Lord Mayor of Dublin and Kevin O’Conner of the Irish Independent, told him that they were in possession of Emmet Dalton’s diary – and that in the diary, there is an admission that Dalton shot Collins at close range. This diary may still exist and be in the possession of the lawyer or his family who owned it then.

Some of Dalton diaries are also in the National Archives at https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000280032

Sources: ‘Michael Collins: Screenplay and Film Diary’ by Neil Jordan, https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Collins-Neil-Jordan/dp/0452276861 and

‘Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution’ written by Historians Dolan and Murphy https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Collins-Revolution-Anne Dolanebook /dp/B07JNCLFT8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=0

4. Some letters in the O’Mahony file in the National Archives state that Emmet Dalton shot Michael Collins

MS 44,103 /4 Letters concerning the death of Collins, some suggesting that Emmet Dalton carried out the assassination; 5 items 1970, 1981, 1993 & undated

https://www.nli.ie/pdfs/mss%20lists/130_SeanOMahony.pdf

5. A man named Dan Ryan who was an official in the Department of external Affairs stated that Desmond Fitzgerald, a Minister in the first Free State government, told him Dalton had shot Collins and that Collins actually suspected that Dalton was a British spy.

Sources: ‘Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution’ written by Historians Dolan and Murphy https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Collins-Revolution-Anne-Dolanebook/dp/B07JNCLFT8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=0

6. Evidence show that Collins was shot at very close range, a few feet away, by a person close to him. A matron and nurse Eleanor Gordon who was part of a medical team which first examined Michael Collin’s body in Shanakiel hospital in Cork city, and she found a bullet hole and gun powder burns on the back of the uniform worn by Michael Collins. Gun powder is discharged 3 – 5 feet from where a gun is fired and residues remain on the clothes and body of the person shot. This is more proof Collins was shot at close range. He was shot in the back first and then shot in the head. This has all the hallmarks of an execution. Emmet Dalton was within that range of Michael Collins when he was shot.

Sources: extract from Fr. Redmond’s letter of November 4th 1981. His aunt was Nurse Eleanor Gordon.

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/who-killed-michael-collins-mystery-27745106 3

7. Another member of Collins’ convoy, Bill McKenna, claimed that he heard Oliver St John Gogarty, the Surgeon who did a post mortem on the body of Michael Collins, say Collins had been shot at very close range and that he was NOT shot by an I.R.A. bullet.

Sources: ‘Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution’ written by Historians Dolan and Murphy

https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Collins-Revolution-Anne-Dolanebook/dp/B07JNCLFT8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=0 and

MS 44,103 /6Report on interview with Bill McKenna on the death of Collins; 2pp https://www.nli.ie/pdfs/mss%20lists/130_SeanOMahony.pdf

8. Tom Kelleher an eye witness and part of the anti treaty ambush team in Beal na Blath stated that Sonny O’Neill did not kill Michael Collins and that Michael Collins was killed by a British officer in the convoy of Collins. Emmet Dalton was a previous British officer and continued to dress like one, and was dressed like one at Beal na Blath. This points to Emmet Dalton.

Sources:https://www.academia.edu/6255255/The_Death_of_Michael_Collins_Who_Pulled_the_Trigger.

9. Forensics- Collins shot in the back and in the head

Fr Redmond, mentioned above claimed his aunt Eleanor Gordon had been a matron and nurse in Shanakiel Hospital in Cork city where Collins was brought on the night of the shooting, and she told him there was a singed bullet hole on the back of Collins’s uniform as well as the head injury. This suggests a shot to the back, followed by a shot to the head, which is a military form of execution.

Source: ‘Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution’ written by Historians Dolan and Murphy provide evidence that Emmet Dalton shot Michael Collins. https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Collins-Revolution-Anne-Dolanebook /dp/B07JNCLFT8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=0

These two shots are corroborated by an eye witness

‘John Caine also appeared in Nugus as being another soldier on the truck; like O’Connell he claimed to have seen what happened but could not have done so; he claimed that at the end he heard two shots and saw a man get up and fall down again (he found out later this was Collins) and saw another man go to his aid (he found out later this was Dalton).’ https://www.academia.edu/6255255/

The_Death_of_Michael_Collins_Who_Pulled_the_Trigger This places Emmet Dalton in close proximity to Collins prior to the two shots being fired, one to the back and one to the head of Collins.

10. Hat and Uniform of Collins

The hat worn by Collins showed evidence of exit wound at the time. Entry to the left and exit through the right side of head.

Evidence of a shot from the south of Collins, hitting him on the left side of the head

This hat has been concealed from the general public. The hat was not subjected to forensic analysis in 1922 or for 100 years. A forensic analysis was carried out by Dr. Marie Cassidy, State Pathologist, in August 2022 confirming what I state in this document. The uniform was not subjected to forensic analysis. Both the hat and uniform had residues of gunpowder and bullet holes, proving 2 shots at very close range to the back and to the head. This needs to be subjected to modern forensics by special forensics teams.

11. Examination of the body of Collins and the shooting site at Beal na Blath

Dr. John Harbison, Irish State Pathologist in 1989, came to the conclusion that Collins was shot from the front or slightly from his left with the bullet leaving his head behind the right ear, taking with it a good deal of the back of his head. The evidence shows that Collins was shot from the left side of his head and the bullet exited the right side of his head under his ear. A large exit wound was clearly visible. There was evidence of a small entry wound on the left side of the head and discolouration of the skin around it. And the large exit wound on the right side was clearly visible, but was mistaken as an entry wound.

In August 2022, Dr. Marie Cassidy, the State Pathologist, and her multidisciplinary team did a brief forensic analysis of the hat worn by Michael Collins that day. This was broadcast on RTE the national television station in August 24th 2022, and titled ‘Collins Cold Case’. New findings emerged showing evidence of a bullet entry through the left side of the hat. This was a small opening, barely visible to the eye. This further confirms a small entry wound. The right side of the gap had a large hole confirming a big exit wound.

The forensic team forgot to examine the hat for gunpowder residues to confirm a close range shooting. They also forgot to do the same for the uniform and examine the bullet hole in the back of the uniform. A luger or mauser pistol or rifle at close range could have inflicted this type of wound. High velocity guns cause small entry wounds and large exit wounds such as the one found in Michael Collins.

The evidence shows he was shot from the south, to his left. A shot to the head at close range was a standard military execution method at the time, known as a ‘coup de grace’.

“ in Dublin, my informant was present with Dr Oliver St. John Gogarty, Desmond FitzGerald, Moira Llewellyn Davies and some relatives of Collins, when Gogarty showed them the wounds. There was a large part of the flesh under the right ear blown away…. Close to the left ear there was a small circular wound which seemed ‘bluish’ in colour. Commandant Frank Friel who was one of Dalton’s assistants and the matron were both quite certain there was an entry wound on the hairline as well as the exit wound at the back of the head. Having examined the body Dr Cagney confirmed that there was an entry wound as well as a small exit wound.” https://www.academia.edu/4460543/The_Death_of_Michael_Collins_Was_There_a_Doctors_Plot

“As noted elsewhere, the expert opinion of the Irish state pathologist Dr Harbison can only lead to the conclusion that Collins was shot from the front or slightly from his left, with the bullet leaving his head behind the right ear, taking with it much of the back of his head.”   https://www.academia.edu/6255255/The_Death_of_Michael_Collins_Who_Pulled_the_Trigger

Analysis of many reports and books on the subject of the death of Michael Collins https://www.academia.edu/6255255/The_Death_of_Michael_Collins_Who_Pulled_the_Trigger

“From the hotel, Collins’s body was taken to Shanakiel Hospital in Cork, where Dr. Michael Riordan was detailed by Dr. Ahern to examine and prepare the body, and they conducted the autopsy. Dr. Christy Kelly was present during a thorough second examination later and confirmed a huge wound on the right side behind the ear, with no exit wound. In contrast, Dr. Patrick Cagney, a British surgeon in the British army during the war who had a wide knowledge of gunshot wounds and who examined the body still later confirmed there was an entry wound as well as a large exit wound. Eleanor Gordon, Matron of Shanakiel Hospital, and nurse Nora O’Donoghue cleaned and attended to Collins’s wounds and also later testified to the nature of the wounds.” https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/michael-collins-death-timeline

Eleanor Gordon, Matron Shanakiel Hospital. Feehan, p. 99 “Friel, Dr. Cagney, and the Matron of Shanakiel (Gordon) say there was an entry wound on the hairline.” Commandant Frank Friel, Shanakiel Hospital. Sigerson, p.374- “His testimony was published by Feehan, and he had apparently spoken publicly on these points as early as 1968, when Dalton made reference to Friel’s contradiction of his [Dalton’s] version of events.”

Source: Shooting of Michael Collins: Murder or Accident? By John Feehan, 1987 and 1992 and The Assassination of Michael Collins: What Happened at Béal na mBláth? By Sigerson, 2013.

Evidence for Entry Wound on left side of head and examination of the site of the shooting

‘NO TIMES FOUR Four Ways Michael Collins Was Not Killed’ by Lebens, 2020 provides an excellent forensic analysis of the death of Michael Colins including details of entry wound and exit wound. Many references are provided.

https://www.academia.edu/43213456/NO_TIMES_FOUR_Four_Ways_Michael_Collins_Was_Not_Killed

and Private William McKenna- saw in Dublin, possibly in Cork. Sigerson, p.310- In Dublin wound was also seen by Desmond Fitzgerald, Moira Llwellyn-Davies, and Collins’ relatives [Feehan, p. 97, McKenna- “He has confirmed that the entry wound was circular, symmetrical, and not jagged.”]

12. False theories promoted by Dalton Emmet Dalton was the only person to push the theory of a ricochet killing Michael Collins and he encouraged many others to take this view including the doctors and nurses in Shanakiel hospital in Cork and Dr. Gogarty the post mortem examiner in Dublin.

Dalton claimed that the wound on the right side of the head was an entry wound when the evidence clearly showed it was an exit wound. The ricochet theory meant nobody could be held responsible for the murder of Michael Collins.

Dalton also promoted the ‘dum dum bullet’ theory as an alternative to the ricochet theory. This was misdirection by Dalton designed to ignore and dismiss the evidence of an entry wound and an exit wound. It facilitated the ignoring of evidence on the hat and uniform, an inquest, an autopsy and publication of findings, no death certificate, and a cover up.

13. A cover-up took place after Collins’s death. The following facts and evidence are relevant here:

• The post mortem report of Oliver St. John Gogarty has never been found. It is believed to have been destroyed by the Free State when large numbers of state files and records were burnt a few days before Fianna Fail took office in 1932.
• There were no inquests, no enquiries, no court martial’s, and no proper autopsy and no coroner’s report performed on Michael Collins. This was very unusual, especially for such a high profile person.
• There were no inquests into deaths allowed in Cork by order of Emmet Dalton, on September 25th 1922. This blocked an inquest into the murder of Michael Collins. This was very convenient for Emmet Dalton. https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/who-killed-michael-collins-mystery-27745106
• Incredibly, Collins doesn’t even have a death certificate.
• The uniform and hat of Michael Collins were not subjected to forensic analysis. Yet they contained vital clues and evidence including bullet holes and gunpowder residue.
• There isn’t a single bit of forensic or ballistic evidence from the ambush – not one bullet.
• For some reason, nearly every document pertaining to Collins’s death has been destroyed or has ““ There isn’t a single bit of forensic or ballistic evidence from the ambush. It has been suggested a number of times that an exhumation of the body could help to answer some of the questions, but this has always been objected to.
• Files relating to the civil war and Michael Collins were burnt by army officers a few days prior to Fianna Fail taking office in 1932. Desmond Fitzgerald, the Minister, had a role in this. (Coogan, page 418).
• Great efforts were made by Emmet Dalton and Free state officials to push the ricochet theory and ignore the evidence which proved otherwise and later destroy this evidence.
• Within 24 hours of the death of Michael Collins, his safe was raided and his papers removed. They have not been recovered and are not in the national archives or archives of universities.

As Feehan observed (page 133), ‘Immediately after Collins’ death there was a massive cover-up by the government. There was no inquest… no inquiry, no proper independent autopsy and almost every document relating to Collins’ death is missing’.

John M Feehan, one of the greatest authorities on the ambush, published the following in his landmark work “The Shooting of Michael Collins: Murder or Accident?” (6th Edition, 1991). Reprinted here courtesy of Mercier Press.  ‘ …How [Collins] met his end is still shrouded in mystery… This, of course, is almost entirely the fault of the Free State government who, on the eve of Fianna Fail coming to power, burned thousands of sensitive documents including a number of files on the shooting of Michael Collins … [Also destroyed were files identifying who it was that,] in an extraordinary act of cover-up, refused to hold an inquest into his death despite the strong pressure of people like Major General Sean Hales. Why there was such a massive cover-up has never been satsifactorily explained. The general public have been left puzzled, but in their own shrewd way they know that there must be some compelling reason for this.’

Collins had several enemies in the Free State government. Some felt he had too much power. Some were opposed to his covert war in Northern Ireland and the British were also opposed to it.

14. Some members of the Collins family believed that Dalton had a part in the killing. Source: ‘Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution’ written by Historians Dolan and Murphy

15. Emmet Dalton contradicted himself constantly over the years in public statements and testimonies. And his account conflicted with other witnesses present at the time.

Source: https://www.academia.edu/6255255/The Death of Michael Collins Who Pulled the Trigger and https://www.academia.edu/43258310/EMMETT  DALTON IN NEVERNEVERLAND A River Of Deception

16. When Fianna Fail came to power in 1932, Emmet Dalton left Ireland almost immediately. He rightly feared his actions in the civil war would come under scrutiny and investigation.
17. Collins was in the process of uncovering spy rings within the Free State government and military at the time. Sean MacBride winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Lenin Peace Prize, gave the reason in the Irish Press (16 and 18 October 1982) that Collins had learned that the infamous British Spy ‘Thorpe‘ was in fact Tim Healy, a trusted adviser of Collins during the treaty negotiations, and uncle of Kevin O’Higgins, and England’s Governor General of the Irish Free State. Some authors have stated that Dalton was also under suspicion at the time.

Source: ‘Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution’ written by Historians Dolan and Murphy

https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Collins-Revolution-Anne-Dolanebook/dp/B07JNCLFT8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=0 and

MS 44,104 /7 Photocopy of documents concerning the possibility that Timothy Healy was a British spy at the time of the Phoenix Park murders and the Michael Collins had discovered this in the week before his death; 3 items undated.

18. Emmet Dalton served in British Military Intelligence during World War 1 and was offered a similar role later in World War 2 by the British. He accumulated a large amount of wealth during his career and became involved in the movie business. A standard British Intelligence tactic at the time was to probe the trust networks of a person and then use that to get their person close to the target individual. Emmet Dalton became very close to Michael Collins.
19. Emmet Dalton proved himself to be ruthless in killing Irish men. He ordered and oversaw the shelling of the High Court and the summary executions of fleeing anti treaty republicans. Emmet Dalton is also alleged to have played a role in the killing of Noel Lemass in 1923, a brother Sean Lemass a future Taoiseach of Ireland. This has been acknowledged by the Lemass family in the past. Dalton was known to be cool and calculating when in combat. Dalton was comfortable with the extra judicial killings and POW killings in Cork, Tipperary and Kerry during the civil war, and the executions of over 70 republican POW’s in Irish prisons.

Sonny O’Neill Exonerated

20. Sonny O’Neill could not have shot Collins for the following reasons

(a) The shot would have been at long range, over 450 feet, which was impossible due to him having an arm disability, low visibility due to darkness and the long distance involved. German records show that he was wounded and captured in the First World War leading to a permanent 40% disability in his right arm – hardly an advantage for a skilled assassin.

(b) In the 1980’s documentaries and books pushed the O’Neill theory, all based on the testimony of someone who wasn’t there. Witnesses, Tom Kelleher and Tom Foley state that Sonny had left the area before the ambush and shooting. Tom Kelleher, Liam Deasy, Bill Powell and Tom Foley four eye witnesses and part of the ambush team stated that Sonny O’Neill did not fire the fatal shot.

(c) Sonny O’Neill may have mistakenly thought he shot Collins. Another anti treaty man, Bob Doherty, also thought he shot Collins. Several people shooting at Free State troops from a long distance with the low light of late evening would have led to people falsely believing they shot Collins. These two men mistakenly claimed to have shot Collins and were very upset by it. They convinced other Anti Treaty men that they did it. This then was spread to other anti treaty men and to members of the general public and became part of folklore. Over time, this was misconstrued as fact. It is claimed that Sonny O’ Neill fired at a man lying down on the road from a long distance and the bullet somehow ricocheted off the road or a wall and hit Collins.

The forensic evidence shows that Collins was shot at close range in the back by a person within a few feet of him, as there were gunpowder burns on the back of the uniform and then he was shot in the head at close range. The hat of Collins should contain traces of gunpowder burns. Dr. Gogarty who examined the body in Dublin confirmed a close range shot (see above). Sonny O’Neill was over 450 feet away, too far away. Collins was shot at close range. This excludes Sonny O’Neill. There were many people firing guns at the Free State troops that day, but none got close enough to Collins to shoot him in the back at close range and then shoot him in the head at very close range.

(d) Collins was shot on the left side of his head, that indicates that he was shot by someone positioned to the south, while Sonny O’Neill had been positioned to the west. The trajectory of the bullet from entry on left side of the head to exit on right side of the head shows a shot from left hand side or south according to Michael Collins’ position.

(e) Gunfire from anti treaty men was the perfect cover for someone in Collin’s party to move up close and shoot Collins at close range. The shot to the back of Collins at close range followed by a shot to the head at close range could be concealed and misattributed to gunfire from anti treaty republicans and ricochets. It was the perfect cover story, and it even fooled anti treaty forces who thought they shot Collins.

There were many people firing guns at the free state troops that day, but none got close enough to Collins to shoot him in the back at close range and the shoot him in the head.

Source: The Death of Michael Collins: Who Pulled the Trigger?

Part 2: Did Denis O’Neill Pull the Trigger? PDF

https://www.academia.edu/30974483/ The Death of Michael Collins Who Pulled the Trigger Part 2: Did Denis O’Neill pull the Trigger? pages PDF

and Shooting of Michael Collins: Murder or Accident? By John Feehan, 1987 and 1992 and https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/who-killed-michael-collins-new-evidencecasts-doubt-on-chief-suspect-1.4653243

and Michael Collins: A Biography By Tim Pat Coogan and https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/chief-suspect-michael-collins-murder and ‘NO TIMES FOUR Four Ways Michael Collins Was Not Killed’ by Lebens, 2020 which provides an excellent forensic analysis of the death of Michael Collins including details of entry wound and exit wound. Many references are provided. https://www.academia.edu/43213456/

NO TIMES FOUR Four Ways Michael Collins Was Not Killed and https://collinsassassination.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/did-sonny-oneill-shoot-michael-collins/

21. The Important Questions

• Who wanted Michael Collins dead and who benefitted from his death?
• Who had the means to kill him and the opportunities to kill him?
• Who had the power to cover it up and make it official using the state’s resources?

The obvious suspects are the British, the Anti Treaty Republicans, and some rogues in the Free State government. The most significant outcome of the death of Michael Collins was a complete end to the Free State policy of “the freedom to achieve freedom” or “stepping stones to freedom” that is supporting nationalists and republicans in Northern Ireland with a view to uniting the 32 counties.

Collins Secretly Armed Republicans

Collins had secretly supported Republicans in Northern Ireland, transporting arms, ammunition, money and men to the north, and this caused great anger in the government of the Free State. This caused a major rift between Collins and the Free State government, and he made powerful enemies. This was also communicated back to the British. Evidence has emerged of British spies within the Free State government.

With the death of Collins the Free State abandoned Northern Ireland and abandoned the aim of “freedom to achieve freedom” or “stepping stones to freedom”. This was the biggest outcome of the death of Collins.

Planned Peace Negotiations

Collins went to Cork to negotiate peace with some leading Anti Treaty Republicans and Florrie O’Donoghoe acted as a mediator. There were fears in the Free State government and British government that he would agree to link the Free State Army up with Anti Treaty Republicans and join with Northern Republicans to intensify the conflict in Northern Ireland and implement the aim of “freedom to achieve freedom”.

Some nervous Free State government officials believed this could have undermined the Free State. The pro British elements within the Free State government were very alarmed and suspicious of the antics of Collins. And the British who were aware of this applied pressure on them at the time.

Free State Treachery

After Collins was murdered, the Free State totally ignored Northern Ireland and its violent sectarian and apartheid system, which was oppressive and tyrannical. Ignoring a problem and letting it fester and fester is an Irish trait. This suited some Free State politicians and it also suited the British Establishment. The Ministers of the Irish Free State government proudly attended the Commonwealth conferences and were proud of being part of the British Empire, and they were proud of their high social status in Ireland and copied many aspects of the old British regime. They lived like lords and were treated as such by the ordinary Irish people. There are pictures of them wearing top hats and riding with the hunt along with members of the British Establishment and the Anglo Irish gentry. Their close cooperation with and admiration for the British was very revealing. They did absolutely nothing to establish an Irish Republic in legal, Constitutional and military terms. Collins would not have tolerated this.

Extra Judicial Murders

After Collins death the Free State engaged in many extra judicial murders and the executions of over 80 republicans in jails, contrary to the Hague Convention. Collins would not have approved of this. The aim of this was to repress republicanism both in the South and North and eradicate “the freedom to achieve freedom”.

Emmet Dalton proved himself very willing to shoot at (and shell) fellow Irish men. He was ideally placed for a hit on Michael Collins, as he was close to Collins and trusted. Dalton was ruthless, cunning and sly. Dalton’s high status and respectability meant most Irish people believed his version of events; they looked up to and revered the man with the big job. In Ireland, high social status and respectability is the primary factor governing one’s credibility in the public eye, not the facts and evidence.

The Cover Up

The cover up itself could only have been done by high level individuals in the Free State government and it was quite thorough. Their use of scapegoats and misdirection sent most Irish people looking in the wrong direction. Did Dalton act on behalf of rogue elements of the Free State or rogue elements of Anti Treaty Republicans or the British forces? The weight of evidence and especially the cover up, points to rogue elements in the Free State government, with some British involvement.

Beneficiaries of the Collins Murder

The beneficiaries of the death of Collins moved Ireland in a totally new direction completely opposed to that of Collins.

18. Two recent books provide evidence that Emmet Dalton shot Michael Collins. Other books in the past have identified Emmet Dalton as the main suspect but could not provide sufficient evidence. ‘Michael Collins: The Man and the Revolution’ written by Historians Dolan and Murphy , 2018

https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Collins-Revolution-Anne-Dolan ebook/dp/B07JNCLFT8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Sigerson in his well researched book accuses General Emmett Dalton of the Free State Army of being the key member of a putative British Secret Service operation to kill Michael Collins.

The Assassination of Michael Collins: What Happened at Béal na mBláth?

By Sigerson, 2013 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Assassination-Michael-Collins-Happened-mBl%C3%A1th/dp/1493784714

Conclusion

The evidence is quite shocking but it is consistent and well corroborated. The cover ups are the defining feature here. Why go to such extreme lengths to cover up? The cover ups explain a lot and provide some deeper context and meaning. Michael Collins was an outstanding man who fell victim to the big ego clashes and backstabbing, disloyalty, the ‘Me Feiner’ mentality, moral cowardice and submission to authority, and the corruption, and cover ups which have plagued Ireland for centuries.

Political and Social Problems Exposes

The murder of Michael Collins exposes political problems and social problems which existed then and still exist today. From 1922 to the present we have seen serious abuses, crimes and corruption in Ireland which were covered up by the State and Church and by foreign powers.

The same questions still apply today

• How accountable, transparent, and honest are our politicians, government and civil servants?
• How do we make governments and the state accountable?
• What new structures and processes need to be put in place?
• Do the politicians and senior State workers serve Ireland and the Irish or themselves, their cronies and foreign interests?
• How accurate is our history, given the fact that cover ups, lies and corruption were part of it?
• Do we value Irish national sovereignty which was achieved by great men like Collins, De Valera, Pearse, and their comrades or would we sell it out to foreign interests?
• How do we deal with big egos and backstabbers who undermine the nation?
• Do we value the facts and evidence or do we value cover ups, especially if the cover ups are orchestrated by high status individuals?
• Is there a peasant mentality which underpins and tacitly supports cover-ups, moral cowardice, and corruption?