For the record, Collins was not assassinated
Nuttall's Standard Dictionary defines assassination thus: "To attack off guard or unarmed, to murder" thereby implying that the ambush party had a calculated, murderous intent.
Michael Collins was not assassinated at Béal na Bláth, but was shot dead during an engagement in a classic civil war that often follows liberation from a colonial power.
Collins' convoy was well-armed and could indeed have driven like hell out of the ambuscade, but Collins chose to engage the Irregulars.
When Collins opened fire, he did so not just to frighten off the enemy, but to maim or kill. This simple piece of military logic was understood on both sides. As an admirer of Collins and a Fine Gael voter, I would implore future authors on this subject not to repeat this dreadful error.
Then, perhaps, a little more justice will be done to the participants in this tragedy and its famous victim.
Michael M Galvin,
Hornhill,
Kilmurry,
Co Cork
