O´Connell Street packed with mourners after Collins had been killed in an ambush at Beal na Blath. Often thought to be assassinated, Collins was more likely to have been killed in action, having exposed himself unnecessarily. Michael Collins (1890-1922), republican and statesman, became a member of the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood) and fought in the 1916 Rising. He was Director of Intelligence for the IRA (Irish Republican Army) during the War of Independence. Collins was a signatory of the controversial Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.