Conclusion

The conclusion provides an overview of the findings and analysis undertaken throughout the monograph. Critical questions and suppositions regarding the composition, performance and conduct of the National Army are all highlighted. The profound disconnect between the statistical findings of this study and the often-unclear assumptions and assertions about the military is a common refrain. The conclusion also argues that the emotive nature of the conflict and the overemphasis upon the ‘brother and against brother’ narratives have played far too important a role in the wider historiography. While personal accounts and memoirs are critical sources for historians, they still need to be viewed in their context and intent; simply repeating claims from important political figures such as Kevin O’Higgins and others, without acknowledging that O’Higgins was a deliberate and careful curator of his own image, runs the risk of merely repeating unproven and unsubstantiated assertions about the military, the Irish civil war and the type of state that was established.