#OTD in 1921 – After lengthy negotiations, the British give the Irish a deadline to accept or reject the Anglo-Irish treaty. In the words of Lloyd George, rejection would mean ‘immediate and terrible war’.

05/12/2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

Negotiations on Irish independence from Britain enter their final and crucial stage at Downing Street. The Irish delegates including Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith had returned from an acrimonious cabinet meeting in Dublin where unfortunately clarity did not exist. The negotiators again met with the British team which included Lloyd George and Winston Churchill. It […]

#OTD in 1921 – Éamon de Valera and the 1921 Treaty Negotiations.

13/11/2017.Reading time less than 1 minute.

At a cabinet meeting Éamon de Valera advised ‘that whilst the utmost co-operation should exist between Dublin and London, the plenipotentiaries (negotiators) should have a perfectly free hand but should follow original instructions regarding important decisions.’ This statement by De Valera, in retrospect lacked clarity. The binding legality of the Treaty signing in December (providing […]