Michael Collins (1890-1922) was an Irish revolutionary, soldier and politician who was a leading figure in the early-20th century struggle for Irish independence. He fought in the Easter Rising in the General Post Office alongside Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, and other members of the Rising leadership.
Collins, like many of the other participants, was arrested and almost executed. Instead he was imprisoned at Frongoch internment camp in Wales and was released in 1916.
Collins became one of the leading figures in Sinn Féin after the Rising and is best remembered for his daring strategy in directing the campaign of guerrilla warfare during the intensification of the Anglo-Irish War (1919–21). He was shot and killed in August 1922.