Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Beal na Blath: Michael Collins Ambush Site
Irish history fans may want to make a brief detour en route from Kinsale to Macroom to
visit nearby Beal na Blath (BALE-nuh-BLAH), where dynamic Irish rebel leader Michael
Collins was assassinated on August 22, 1922, during the Irish Civil War. The site is not
much more than a bend in a country road, with an Irish high cross on a raised platform to
mark the spot. But it's Ireland's equivalent of Dallas' infamous “grassy knoll.”
Take a moment to step out of the car and climb the steps onto the fenced platform. Next
to the high cross, a plaque with a photo shows the road in 1922, with arrows approximat-
ing the position of the Collins convoy and the spots from which the ambushers fired.
Dusk was falling as the convoy carrying Collins to Cork came under attack. Collins
couldhaveorderedhisdrivertospeedoff,butchoseinsteadtostandandfight.Theidentity
of the anti-treaty IRA guerilla who fired the fatal shot (thought to have been an errant ri-
cochet) is disputed. Following his death, Collins' body lay in state for three days at Dublin
City Hall, drawing massive crowds. Although his pro-treaty Free State army later won the
