My own reading of history is that the bloodshed was not necessary- we could be independent of the UK now without it. Easy to argue you say- well here I stand. In that regard the old republican argument that those Irish who decry the Provo's but not the lads of 1916 don't hold with me. Twas all unnecessary. Pearse et al turned that wheel of rebellion one more time and we are still spinning.
Apparently a village or town comprised a company, a number of companies comprised a battalion, and a number of battalions formed a brigade. By July 1921, the IRA had roughly 65 brigades, 297 battalions with 155,550 volunteers.