kiraskole

The Civil War of Ireland!

As a result of the Irish War of Independence the Anglo-Irish Treaty was formed. The treaty provided for a self-governing Irish state in 26 of Ireland’s 32 counties, having its own army and police. Ireland would be a dominion of the British Empire with the British monarch as Head of State, in the same manner as Canada and Australia. The Treaty also stated that members of the new Irish Parliament had to take an Oath of Allegiance where they had to swear that they would be faithful to the British king. This Treaty divided the Irish into two groups, the Irish Free State (pro-treaty) and the Irish Republican Army (Anti-Treaty), and caused the Civil War of Ireland to break out June 28, 1922. The war ended May 24, 1923.

The Result was a confirmation of the Irish Free State and defeat of the Anti-Treaty IRA forces.

Republic of Ireland Act 1948.

In 1948 a new bill was introduced to declare Ireland a Republic. The description of the state was to be the Republic of Ireland. It meant that the King of Ireland (the British Monarch) no longer was head of State, and upgraded the Irish President to a full head of State. The Act was enacted with all parties voting for it.

This also meant that Ireland had definitively left the Commonwealth. Ireland had not participated in the Commonwealth for some years prior to the Act. The London Declaration permitted republics to remain in the Commonwealth, but the Irish government did not reapply for membership.