Keith,
I didn't believe we were too far apart in our opinions.
The brutality of The Irish (or all) civil wars was no different to that in WWI - the establishment exercising its authority and confirming its position.
In the end, all conflicts boil down to their objectives, and I have always believed that WWI was about markets and world supremacy, and like all such conflicts, those who made the supreme sacrifice were the ones who stood to gain least.
The execution of prisoners appears to be what happens in war - wasn't the glorious victory at Agincourt topped of by the massacre of 160 French prisoners at the command of Henry V. It happened in Spain too.
Dave; the Irish War of Independence was not about Bastard Brits and heroic Paddies, but of the right of the Irish to govern themselves. While this isn't an issue that keeps me awake at night, it remains the case and unless the situation of the North-Eastern counties is finally resolved, people will be dying over it long after we've shuffled off......
Jim Carroll