The civil unrest in Ireland continues. In the first half of 20201920, IRA forces had conducted attacks on British policemen, army garrisons, and members of the administration, with the ultimate aim of rendering British presence on the island unviable. They had succeeded in forcing the British to give up Munster and reduced their presence in Connacht to Sligo and Galway. The IRA dominated the countryside in Leinster and was able to conduct limited operations in Ulster. Overall, the IRA was ascendant, energised, and optimistic.

The operations of the second half of 20201920 proved less successful, however. The English had massively increased their presence in Ireland, with the recruitment of 60,000 new Black and Tans, and the operation of checkpoints along major transport hubs, still largely controlled by the British. There were also rumours that shipments of food were taking longer to reach Ireland, although these seemed insubstantiated. Similarly, the claim that the IRA was supplied with German weaponry was met with indifference.

Due to poor organisation, only small amounts of Black and Tans were able to carry out their duties in Ulster; however, here the UVF was in force, and along with the tans carried out a campaign of terror on the Catholic population, with the UVF apparently conducting false flag robberies and torching fields. The IRA’s attacks, much more organised and effective in Ulster than they were elsewhere in Ireland, were nevertheless outmatched by the ferocity of unionist forces.

In Connacht, the implantation of new troops was prevented by the IRA’s campaign of harassment, which successfully forced the British to abandon Sligo and Galway and retreat to Leinster. Leinster and Dublin were replete with British forces, and although they suffered from the same sort of organisational difficulties as in Ulster, their sheer number made it hard for the IRA to conduct activities in the cities, and a very restrained campaign was able to quell rebel activities. This was particularly effective in Leinster, where the IRA had expected to be more or less unopposed and was caught off-guard by reinforcements.

Although support for the IRA is only growing, and the English have been unable to thin their numbers in Leinster and Dublin, their operations have been greatly hindered by the escalation of the British presence. Officers are demanding to be allowed to retake Munster and Connacht. The situation seems out of control in Ulster, where violence has reached unprecedented levels.