From the BBC:
“Ireland 1922: The new Irish
state descends into civil war”
(The bombardment of the Four
Courts marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War)
After the bloodshed of the Irish
War of Independence, which raged from January 1919 to July 1921, hopes were
high that the Anglo-Irish Treaty would bring peace to Ireland. The treaty,
which created an independent Irish Free State within the British Empire, was
signed in London in December 1921 and needed to be ratified by the parliaments
in London in Dublin. But there was bitter division among Irish republicans over
a number of aspects of the treaty, including an oath to the King and the
copper-fastening of the partition of Ireland. Civil war broke out as a result. Meanwhile
in the north, unionists were busy shoring up Northern Ireland, which had come
into existence in June 1921. Here are some of the key events of another
tumultuous year in Irish history.
7 January Dáil Eireann -
the breakaway parliament in Dublin set up by Irish republicans - begin debating
the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921, days after it was signed. The lengthy
and bitter debates come to an end on 7 January when the Dáil votes to ratify it
by 64 votes to 57.
9 January At this point
the only effective government in the southern part of Ireland is the breakaway
administration of the Irish Republic. Éamon de Valera, the leader of the
anti-treaty faction of republicans, resigns as president of the republic and is
replaced by Arthur Griffith.
16 January
(Michael Collins arrives at
Dublin Castle for the handover of power)
In accordance with the treaty,
the provisional government of the Irish Free State takes office with Michael
Collins holding the role of chairman - effectively the prime minister of the
transitional administration. Dublin Castle, the headquarters of the British
administration in Ireland is handed over to Collins as centuries of English and
British rule comes to an end.
March Éamon de Valera
forms Cumann na Poblachta, a political party composed of the anti-treaty wing
of Sinn Féin, although he remains a Sinn Féin member as well. IRA members who
oppose the treaty hold an army convention and repudiate the authority of the
Dáil to ratify the treaty.
24 March In Belfast, six
Catholic civilians are shot dead, apparently by police officers, in what
becomes known as the McMahon killings. A week later, another six Catholic civilians
are shot dead, with police again believed to be responsible.
April The anti-treaty IRA
members form their own army executive which they say is the only legitimate
government of Ireland. Michael Collins tries to re-unite the IRA but is
unsuccessful. On 14 April, anti-treaty IRA members led by Rory O'Connor
occupy the Four Courts in Dublin in an aim to spark a new conflict with the
British. At this point, no action is taken against them by the
provisional government. Meanwhile in Belfast, the Special Powers Act is
passed, giving the minister of home affairs sweeping powers to maintain law and
order and secure the existence of the new Northern Ireland state.
May
(Ongoing sectarian violence in
Belfast forces refugees to flee, including these people in Dublin)
The IRA in Northern Ireland
launches an unsuccessful campaign against the new Belfast government.
1 June The Royal Ulster
Constabulary is officially founded as the new police service of Northern
Ireland.
18 June Dáil elections are
held to pave the way for the formal establishment of the Irish Free State. Both
pro-treaty and anti-treaty candidates stand under the Sinn Féin banner, with 58
pro-treaty and 36 anti-treaty candidates elected. Labour and the
Farmers' Party, which also supported the treaty, win 17 and seven seats
respectively.
22 June British Field
Marshal Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, who played an important role in the War of
Independence, is assassinated by IRA men in London. The British government
tells the provisional government in Dublin that it must clear the anti-treaty
IRA from the Four Courts.
27-30 June
(A National Army soldier brings a
wounded anti-treaty fighter out of the Four Courts)
The new National Army of the
provisional government bombards the Four Courts, often considered the official
start of the Irish Civil War. After shelling and the storming of the building
by National Army troops, the IRA garrison surrenders. Shortly before the
surrender, a massive explosion destroys the Irish Public Record Office,
destroying many irreplaceable records of Ireland's history.
July The National Army
secures Dublin under the control of the provisional government. Anti-treaty
forces are scattered throughout the rest of the country.
12 August
(Arthur Griffith's coffin is
carried by comrades including Michael Collins)
Arthur Griffith, who founded Sinn
Féin in 1905 and is president of the Dáil, dies at the age of 51 of a cerebral
haemorrhage.
22 August A convoy
carrying Michael Collins, who is visiting his native County Cork, is ambushed
at the isolated Béal na Bláth crossroads. Collins jumps from the vehicle
to fight the anti-treaty ambushers but is shot in the head and killed.
30 August Having lost two
of its most senior members in a matter of days, the provisional government
elects WT Cosgrave as its new chairman. By this point, most of the large towns
in Ireland have fallen to the National Army.
27 September The Public
Safety Bill is passed by the Dáil on the instigation of the provisional
government. It allows for the death penalty to be imposed on people fighting
against the National Army or possessing weapons without the government's
authority.
25 October De Valera and
anti-treaty members of the Dáil set up their own republican government. It
has no real authority as anti-treaty forces control very little territory.
17 November The
provisional government begins executing anti-treaty prisoners under the Public
Safety Bill when five IRA men are shot by firing squad. Between now and
the end of the civil war, 81 will officially be put to death. There are
rumours that almost twice as many are unofficially executed.
6 December
(WT Cosgrave becomes the first
prime minister of the Irish Free State)
The Irish Free State officially
comes into existence. The provisional government becomes the new state's
permanent government and WT Cosgrave is elected as its prime minister -
officially known as the president of the executive council. He will hold the
role for 10 years.
7 December The Parliament
of Northern Ireland exercises its right under the Anglo-Irish Treaty to opt out
of the Free State by sending a petition to the King. Partition in
Ireland is confirmed.
^ 2022 is the 100th Anniversary
of the Irish Civil War. It divided the war island (the Irish Free State – later
the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.) It’s important to note that this
article is from the BBC – so has a British view to everything. The Anglo-Irish
Treaty of 1921, the Irish Civil War of 1922-23 and the divisions and violence
each caused directly lead to the continued Official Discrimination of Irish
Catholics in Northern Ireland (leading to the 1968-1998 Troubles) and the
current issues over Brexit and Northern Ireland and Ireland. ^
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