Behind every great man is a great woman and there are many women whom Michael Collins was blessed with knowing whom supported, spied for or loved him. From liaising with society ladies to his romances with Kitty Kiernan, all while trying to pave Ireland's path for freedom with Treaty debates and the subsequent Irish Civil War, this was to be Michael Collins most testing time both publicly and privately. Portraits of other women who entered Collins life during this tumultuous time will also be explored.

While Michael Collins was carrying out negotiations with the British, he also had to look at reconciling the anti-Treaty IRA with the new Provisional Government. Many of those he fought with in the War of Independence were now against him. The lecture looks at the final chapter of Collins life and the man who helped shape Ireland's path to freedom as well as the immediate aftermath of his death as this ended all hope for a quick end to the Civil War.

Historian Marcus Howard has captured a number of 1916 stories told by relatives and featured on Irish TV last time he spoke at Willesden Green library.