“A MERE youth in appearance. he is sturdy and well built, and full of life, and one of the most cheerful of Irishmen. His black hair hangs carelessly over his brow, and his eyes are of typically Irish blue. His smile disarms one. But in repose there is a strength of jaw and a look of determination which explains how he controlled and directed his men.” That’s a London newspaper description of Michael Collins, who was killed at Beal na Bláth one hundred years ago. Collins did indeed control and direct his men, usually to commit violent acts. He told them to confine their killings to “head shots”, and they did. When the mayor of Cork, Tomas McCurtain, was shot dead in March 1920 by a group of men led by RIC Detective Inspector Oswald Ross Swanzy,. Collins had Swanzy traced to County Antrim and arranged for Belfast IRA man Roger McCorley to shoot Swanzy dead as he passed the Northern Bank in Lisburn. In the early hours of November 21, 2021, Collins’s ‘Squad’ shot dea