Truce and negotiations ● In July 1921 the British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and the leader of Sinn Féin, Eamon De Valera agreed to a truce and to begin negotiations on a settlement for Ireland

Early attempts at negotiation ● De Valera and Sinn Féin were looking for Ireland to be a completely independent republic (32 county) ● The British were only willing to offer limited independence for 26 counties within the British Commonwealth ● De Valera and other Sinn Féin leaders travelled to London in July 1914 but no agreement was reached ● In the following months letters were exchanged between the 2 leaders but no compromise agreement was reached

Sending an Irish Delegation to negotiate with the British ● Eventually it was agreed that an Irish Delegation would travel to London in October 1921 to negotiate an agreement with the British ● The Cabinet met in September 1921 to choose the members of the Irish Delegation

The Irish Delegation ● De Valera said that he would not be part of the delegation ● Brugha and Stack refused to be part ● In the end: Michael Collins, Robert Barton, Arthur Griffith, Eamonn Duggan, George Gavan Duffy and Erskine Childers ● The delegates were appointed as 'plenipotentiaries' by the Dáil (in theory this gave them full power to accept or negotiate a deal) but De Valera told them to get approval of the Cabinet before signing a treaty

The British Delegation ● David Lloyd George ● Winston Churchill ● Lord Birkenhead ● Austin Chamberlain

What the British were offering ● Southern Ireland would have 'Dominion Status' but remain part of the British Commonwealth (or Empire) (similar to Canada) ● Ireland would remain partitioned ● Members of an Irish parliament would have to take an Oath of Allegiance to the King as Head of State ● The size of the Irish army would be limited and Britain would keep air and naval bases in Ireland

What Sinn Féin were looking for ● Complete independence for all 32 counties of Ireland ● Ireland to become an independent republic ● No Oath of Allegiance to the King ● The only compromise De Valera was prepared to accept was 'External Association' (that Ireland would have an association or link to the Commonwealth)

What advantages did the British Delegation have? ● The British delegation was made up of experienced career politicians who had a lot of experience of negotiating. ● The British were 'playing at home' in the sense that the talks were held in London whereas the Irish Delegation were away from home and their families and the other members of Sinn Féin. ● The British delegation had the support of the British Civil Service. ● It would be difficult for the IRA to take on the British in a prolonged war and for Sinn Féin to maintain public support if the Irish Delegation came back without a deal.

The Negotiations ● 11 October: discussions begin ● First 2 weeks of formal negotiations ● The British initially seemed prepared to offered to end partition if the Irish delegation accepted for Ireland to remain in the British Empire. ● But the Unionists refused to accept this compromise and the British then proposed setting up a Boundary Commission to look at the issue of partition.

The Boundary Commission ● Lloyd George suggested to Collins and Griffith that the Boundary Commission would reduce the size of Northern Ireland and that it would be too small to be viable and would eventually join in with the rest of Ireland. ● The unionists saw the Boundary Commission as a way of staying out of an independent Ireland.

Dominion Status or External Association ● In November 1921 the Irish Delegation returned to Dublin to brief the government on the progress of the talks. ● The British were willing to offer Ireland Dominion Status within the Commonwealth with the King as Head of State. ● The Irish Delegation were willing to offer External Association whereby there would be Ireland would have a link to the Commonwealth but would not be part of it.

Collins and Griffith

Final stages of the negotiations ● In early December 1921 the Irish delegation returned to London and Lloyd George put pressure on them to sign the treaty ● Lloyd George used a combination of concessions and threats to put pressure on the Irish delegates ● Small changes were made to the Oath of Allegiance but he also suggested that the British would use 'immediate and terrible' war against the IRA if hostilities resumed ● Eventually all the members of the delegation agreed to accept and sign the Treaty

Terms of the Treaty ● Ireland to become Irish Free State ● Ireland to have 'Dominion Status' in the Commonwealth (like Canada, Australia) ● The King would be the Head of State ● Members of the Irish Parliament had to take an Oath of Allegiance to the King ● Ireland would pay annuities to Britain ● Britain would maintain control of a number of naval bases on the coast (the 'Treaty Ports') ● A Boundary Commission would be established

Collins on the Treaty ● The Treaty offered Ireland 'the freedom to achieve freedom' ● After signing the Treaty 'today I have signed my own death warrant'