History of the Republic of Ireland

From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.

The island of Ireland is divided into two separate political entities, originally created in the 1920s. Covering three-quarters of the island, and containing twenty-six counties, the southern state officially became Republic of Ireland in 1949 some time after it became independent from the UK in 1922. The remaining six-county state covering the north-east corner of the island is called Northern Ireland and is part of the United Kingdom.

(In this article 'Ireland', unless otherwise stated, refers to the Republic of Ireland.)

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

From 1 January 1801 until 6 December 1922 Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Historically it had for centuries been governed as one all-island unit. This changed with the introduction of partition in the British Government of Ireland Act 1920. This created two states, Southern Ireland (of 26 counties) and Northern Ireland (of 6 counties), both of which were to remain part of the United Kingdom. While Northern Ireland became a political reality, Southern Ireland initially existed only on paper, its governing institutions never having come into being.

From 1919 to 1922 a UDI all-island state called the Irish Republic nominally existed, having been declared by the First Dáil, an illegal 'Assembly of Ireland' set up by Irish politicians who had been elected to sit in the British House of Commons but who had declined to do so, setting up a rival parliament instead. Though unrecognised internationally, the Irish Republic functioned in a haphazard manner as a rival government with its own prime minister (later upgraded to become President of the Republic) and a cabinet. Its army, the Irish Republican Army, waged a guerrilla war against the British Army and police force, in what came to be known as the Anglo-Irish War (also known as the Irish War of Independence).

Anglo-Irish Treaty

In December 1921, the British Government and Irish Republican plenipotentiaries negotiated a peace treaty, known as the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It created a whole new system of Irish self government, known as dominion status, with a new state, to be called the Irish Free State (in the Irish language Saorstát Éireann). The new Free State was in theory to cover the entire island, subject to the provisio that Northern Ireland could opt out and choose to remain part of the United Kingdom, which it duly did. The Dáil ratified the treaty, leading to the Irish Civil War, won by the pro-Treaty element of the Dáil.

For one year, Southern Ireland, which had previously existed only on paper, was resurrected and governed by a cabinet under Michael Collins.

Formation of the Free State & The Irish Civil War

The Treaty however was not entirely satisfactory to either side. It gave more concessions to the Irish than the British had intended to give but did not go far enough to satisfy fully Irish concerns. A new internationally recognised Irish state called the Irish Free State (in the Irish language Saorstát Éireann) was created. The new Free State was in theory to cover the entire island, subject to the proviso that Northern Ireland (which had been created as a separate entity under the Government of Ireland Act 1920) could opt out and choose to remain part of the United Kingdom, which it duly did. The remaining 26 counties of Ireland became the Irish Free State, a constitutional monarchy over which the British monarch reigned (from 1927 with the title King of Ireland). It had a Governor-General, a bicameral parliament, a cabinet called the Executive Council and a prime minister called the President of the Executive Council. The constitution was called the Constitution of the Irish Free State.

Irish Civil War was the direct consequence of the creation the Irish Free State. Anti-Treaty forces, led by Eamon de Valera, objected to the fact that acceptance of the Treaty destroyed the republic of 1919 to which they had sworn loyalty to, the fact that Ireland would remain part of the British Commonwealth and the acceptance of the principle of partition of the island between the Unionist 6-county Northern Ireland and the Republican 26-county Southern Ireland. Pro-Treaty forces, led by Michael Collins, argued that the Treaty gave "not the ultimate freedom that all nations aspire and develop, but the freedom to achieve it".

At the start of the war, the Pro-Treaty National Army was out-gunned and out-manned. However, through the lack of an effective command structure by its opponents, the Irish Republican Army, and IRA units' defensive stand through out the war, Michael Collins and his commanders were able to build up an army which was able to overwhelm the IRA on the battlefield. British supplies of artillery, aircraft, machine-guns and ammunition were much help to Pro-Treaty forces. The lack of public support for the IRA, the determination of the government to defeat the IRA and the lack of will in the IRA also contributed to the IRA's defeat.

The National Army suffered 800 fatalities and perhaps as many as 4000 people were killed altogether. As their forces retreated, the IRA showed a major talent for destruction and the economy of the Free State suffered a near-fatal blow in the earliest days of its existence as a result.

The Irish Free State (1922–1937)

After Collins's assassination in August 1922, W.T. Cosgrave assumed control of both the Irish Republic and Southern Ireland governments and they disappeared simultaneously, being replaced by the new Irish Free State on 6 December 1922. In the absence of the six counties of Northern Ireland, the new state, which was independent of the United Kingdom, covered twenty-six of the island's thirty-two counties.

The Irish Free State was a constitutional monarchy over which the British monarch reigned (from 1927 with the title King of Ireland). The Representative of the Crown was known as the Governor-General of the Irish Free State. It had a bicameral parliament and a cabinet, called the Executive Council answerable to the Chamber of Deputies, which was known as Dáil Éireann. The prime minister of the Free State was called the President of the Executive Council. The constitution was called the Irish Free State Constitution.

Éire (1937– )

On the 29 December 1937 a new constitution came into being, replacing the Irish Free State by a new state called Éire which was named Ireland in the English language. The Governor-General was replaced by a President of Ireland. A new more powerful prime minister, called the Taoiseach came into being, while the Executive Council was renamed the Government. Though it had a president, the new state was not a republic. The British monarch continued to reign as King of Ireland and was used as an "organ" in international and diplomatic relations, with the President of Ireland relegated to symbolic functions within the state but never outside it.

The Republic of Ireland (1949– )

On 1 April 1949, the Republic of Ireland Act came into force. The new state was unambiguously described as a republic, with the international and diplomatic functions previously vested in or exercised by the King now vested in the President of Ireland who finally became unambiguously the Irish head of state. Though the official name of the state remained Éire, the term Republic of Ireland though officially just the description of the new state, came to be used as its name. While the Republic often chose to use the word Ireland to describe itself, particularly in the diplomatic sphere, many states avoid using that term because of the existence of a second Ireland, Northern Ireland, and because the 1937 constitution claimed that the south had jurisdiction over the north. Using the word 'Ireland' was taken as accepting that claim and so caused offence in Northern Ireland. That claim, in what was known as Articles 2 and 3 of the 1937 constitution, was repealed in 1999.

The Irish Free State/Éire remained a member of the British Commonwealth until the declaration of a republic in April 1949. Under Commonwealth rules, declaration of a republic automatically terminates membership in the Commonwealth. Unlike India, which became a republic at the same time, the Republic of Ireland chose not to reapply for admittance to the Commonwealth.

Ireland has been a member of the European Economic Community (EEC, now known as the European Union) since 1973. This period saw the advancement of Ireland and several large projects such as the Regional Technical Colleges, National Institutes for Higher Education and the Nuclear Energy Board.

For more on Irish history, see the History of Ireland page.

See also

• Irish pound or Punt (former currency unit)