Provisional Government of Southern Ireland
Encyclopedia
The provisional Government of Southern Ireland was the provisional government
for the administration of Southern Ireland
between 16 January 1922 and 6 December 1922. The government was effectively a transitional administration for the period between the ratifying of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
and the establishment of the Irish Free State
. Its legitimacy was disputed by the Anti-Treaty delegates to Dáil Éireann
.
The Provisional Government was then constituted on 14 January 1922. That meeting was not convened as a meeting of the House of Commons of Southern Ireland nor as a meeting of the Dáil. Instead, it was convened by Arthur Griffith
as “Chairman of the Irish Delegation of Plenipotentiaries” (who had signed the Treaty) under the terms of the Treaty. Notably it was not convened by Lord Fitzalan, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
who under the Government of Ireland Act 1920
was the office-holder with the entitlement to convene a meeting of the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. The intention was to merge legally both parliaments to select the ministers for the Provisional Government, but the reality was that the existing pro-Treaty ministers would continue in their posts.
At this meeting the Anglo-Irish Treaty
was ratified by the Irish side in accordance with the Treaty, the Provisional Government was elected and Michael Collins
was appointed its Chairman. The Provisional Government took up office two days later on 16 January 1922 when British administration handed over Dublin Castle
to Collins in person.
Notwithstanding its establishment in January 1922, the British Government had not formally transferred any powers to the Provisional Government. The British Government could only do so when the British Parliament had approved the transitional arrangements following from the Anglo-Irish Treaty. This became law on 1 April 1922 under the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
(12 & 13 Geo. 5. c.4.). The following day by Order in Council a range of governmental powers were transferred to the Provisional Government by the British Government. The several members of the Provisional Government were accordingly re-appointed on that date and these appointments were formally announced in the Dublin Gazette
a few days later.
to the Provisional Government. For centuries Dublin Castle was the symbol, as well as the citadel, of British rule in Ireland. Its transfer to the representatives of the Irish people was greatly welcomed in Dublin. It was regarded as a significant outward and visible sign that British rule was ending. The handover of Dublin Castle occurred on 16 January 1922. The following is a summary of the account of what happened provided by The Times:
The following officiaI communique was afterwards issued from the Castle:
On leaving the Castle the members of the Provisional Government again received a great ovation from a largely augmented crowd. They returned to the Mansion House from where the Chairman of the Provisional Government, Michael Collins issued the following statement (referring to nothing less than a surrender of the Castle):
At the end of the day's events, the following telegram was sent from the King to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
:
provided that the Provisional Government was or would be accountable to any such body. On 27 May 1922 Lord Fitzalan
, in accordance with the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
formally dissolved the Parliament of Southern Ireland
and by proclamation called “a Parliament to be known as and styled the Provisional Parliament”. Under the terms of the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
, the Provisional Government did become accountable to that Parliament. Therefore, between its formation on 14 January 1922 and 19 September 1922 (when the Provisional Parliament first met) the Provisional Government was responsible to no Parliament at all.
However, its members were also members of the Republican Dáil and that Parliament held meetings into June. The Dáil had no legitimacy in British law and under its own laws was the parliament to which another government was accountable – the Aireacht
(Irish Republic
Government). The constitutional uniqueness of the situation was such that the viceroy Viscount Fitzalan remained in his post undisturbed for months after his "surrender", and in the summer of 1922 he frequently held military reviews of departing British soldiers in the Phoenix Park
outside the then Viceregal Lodge
.
The provisional Government of Southern Ireland is sometimes referred to as having been the Provisional Government of Ireland but this is questionable as its powers were, under the terms of the Treaty, restricted to Southern Ireland
. Nevertheless, the Provisional Government styled itself the Provisional Government of Ireland or (Rialtas Sealadach na hÉireann in Irish
) and overprint
ed its postage stamps accordingly.
In addition, the Provisional Government is sometimes referred to as having been the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State. In law, the Irish Free State did not exist until 6 December 1922 at which point the Provisional Government ceased to exist (although those who had been its members were on that date elected as the first Executive Council of the Irish Free State
).
Notwithstanding the above, to confuse matters somewhat, from 9 September 1922 the provisional Government of Southern Ireland was accountable to a Provisional Parliament – and that Parliament was not a House of the Parliament of Southern Ireland
. This is because on 27 May 1922, Lord Fitzalan
pursuant to the terms of the Free State (Agreement) Act
declared that the Parliament of Southern Ireland
was dissolved and he called “a Parliament to be known as and styled the Provisional Parliament [of what was not stated]”
Throughout its existence, it was referred to by those who participated in it as Rialtas Sealadach na hÉireann, or in English, the Irish Provisional Government.
's Dáil Constitution
adopted in 1919, Dáil Éireann
continued to exist after it had ratified the Anglo-Irish Treaty
. In protest at the ratification, Éamon de Valera
resigned the presidency of the Dáil then sought re-election from among its members (to clarify his mandate), but Arthur Griffith
defeated him in the vote and assumed the presidency. (Griffith called himself President of Dáil Éireann
rather than de Valera's more exalted President of the Republic.)
Most of the Dáil Ministers such as Reverend Christopher McCarthy became concurrently Ministers of this Provisional Government. Michael Collins
became Chairman of the Provisional Government (i.e. prime minister). He also remained Minister for Finance of Griffith's republican
administration. An example of the complexities involved can be seen even in the manner of his installation. In theory he was a Crown-appointed prime minister, installed under the Royal Prerogative
. To be so installed, he had to formally meet the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
, Viscount Fitzalan of Derwent
(the head of the British administration in Ireland). According to republican history, Collins met Fitzalan to accept the surrender of Dublin Castle
, the seat and symbol of British government in Ireland. According to British constitutional theory, he met Fitzalan to 'kiss hands' (the formal name for the installation of a minister of the Crown), the fact of their meeting rather than the signing of any documents, duly installing him in office. Subsequent to the surrender, British soldiers and the Royal Irish Constabulary
(which was being disbanded) were called upon again by the Provisional Government to man the guard at Dublin Castle.
There was no other legal mechanism for the transfer of power than kissing hands, as the British "Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
" that covered the transition was passed in March and only came into force on 1 April 1922. The relevant Order in Council signed on 1 April was the "Provisional Government (Transfer of Functions) Order, 1922".
police force. The Dunmanway killings in April emphasised the government's lack of control. A force led by Rory O'Connor
occupied four central buildings in Dublin on 14 April. The Provisional Government ignored this challenge to its authority, hoping that the occupiers would realise that they had achieved nothing, and leave. Instead some incidents at the Four Courts
in late June led to the open outbreak of the Irish Civil War
on 28 June.
Adding to the instability, the Provisional Government continuously and covertly supplied arms to the IRA in Northern Ireland
in an attempt maintain IRA support elsewhere. This undeclared conflict was formally ended by the "Craig-Collins Agreement" of 30 March 1922, but Collins continued to supply arms until shortly before his death in August 1922. Provisional Government policy veered between trying to persuade the Government of Northern Ireland
to join a re-united Ireland and trying to conquer it. A major concern was the welfare of Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland, many of whom suffered the harsh policing methods of the Ulster Special Constabulary
that was formed in late 1921 to deal with the IRA there. Collins' support for the IRA in the north prolonged the suffering, though from 2 August he did limit it to defensive actions. The Government lifted, then re-imposed and then lifted the "Belfast Boycott", designed to end the sale of Northern Irish goods in the south.
Following the general election
on 16 June 1922, held just before the civil war, the Second Irish Provisional Government took power until the creation of the Irish Free State
on 6 December 1922.
By mid-1922, Collins in effect laid down his responsibilities as President of the Provisional Government to become Commander-in-Chief of the National Army
, a formal structured uniformed army that formed around the pro-Treaty IRA
. As part of those duties, he travelled to his native County Cork
. En route home on 22 August 1922, at Béal na mBláth (an Irish language
placename that means 'the Mouth of Flowers'), he was killed in an ambush
. He was 31 years old. After Collins' and Griffith's deaths in August 1922, W. T. Cosgrave became both Chairman of the Provisional Government and President of Dáil Éireann, and the distinction between the two posts became irrelevant.
On 6 December 1922, Northern Ireland
, Southern Ireland
and the Irish Republic
were replaced by the Irish Free State
, with executive authority nominally vested in the King, but exercised by a cabinet called the Executive Council
, presided over by a prime minister called the President of the Executive Council
. On 7 December the House of Commons of Northern Ireland
unanimously exercised its right under the Treaty to secede from the Irish Free State.
Provisional government
A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...
for the administration of Southern Ireland
Southern Ireland
Southern Ireland was a short-lived autonomous region of the United Kingdom established on 3 May 1921 and dissolved on 6 December 1922.Southern Ireland was established under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 together with its sister region, Northern Ireland...
between 16 January 1922 and 6 December 1922. The government was effectively a transitional administration for the period between the ratifying of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
and the establishment of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
. Its legitimacy was disputed by the Anti-Treaty delegates to Dáil Éireann
Second Dáil
The Second Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 16 August 1921 until 8 June 1922. From 1919–1922 Dáil Éireann was the revolutionary parliament of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic. The Second Dáil consisted of members elected in 1921...
.
Formation
Article 17 of the Anglo-Irish Treaty stipulated that, between its ratification and the eventual creation of the Free State, ".. steps shall be taken forthwith for summoning a meeting of members of parliament elected for constituencies in Southern Ireland since the passing of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, and for constituting a Provisional Government..."The Provisional Government was then constituted on 14 January 1922. That meeting was not convened as a meeting of the House of Commons of Southern Ireland nor as a meeting of the Dáil. Instead, it was convened by Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. He served as President of Dáil Éireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.-Early life:...
as “Chairman of the Irish Delegation of Plenipotentiaries” (who had signed the Treaty) under the terms of the Treaty. Notably it was not convened by Lord Fitzalan, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
who under the Government of Ireland Act 1920
Government of Ireland Act 1920
The Government of Ireland Act 1920 was the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which partitioned Ireland. The Act's long title was "An Act to provide for the better government of Ireland"; it is also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bill or as the Fourth Home Rule Act.The Act was intended...
was the office-holder with the entitlement to convene a meeting of the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. The intention was to merge legally both parliaments to select the ministers for the Provisional Government, but the reality was that the existing pro-Treaty ministers would continue in their posts.
At this meeting the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
was ratified by the Irish side in accordance with the Treaty, the Provisional Government was elected and Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
was appointed its Chairman. The Provisional Government took up office two days later on 16 January 1922 when British administration handed over Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
to Collins in person.
Notwithstanding its establishment in January 1922, the British Government had not formally transferred any powers to the Provisional Government. The British Government could only do so when the British Parliament had approved the transitional arrangements following from the Anglo-Irish Treaty. This became law on 1 April 1922 under the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
The Irish Free State Act 1922 was an Act of the British Parliament passed on 31 March 1922. It gave the force of law to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was scheduled to the Act.-Main provisions:...
(12 & 13 Geo. 5. c.4.). The following day by Order in Council a range of governmental powers were transferred to the Provisional Government by the British Government. The several members of the Provisional Government were accordingly re-appointed on that date and these appointments were formally announced in the Dublin Gazette
Dublin Gazette
The Dublin Gazette was the Gazette, or official newspaper, of the Irish Executive, Britain's government in Ireland based at Dublin Castle, between 1705 and 1922...
a few days later.
Handover of Dublin Castle
One of the earliest and most remarkable events in the short life of the Provisional Government was the handover of Dublin CastleDublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
to the Provisional Government. For centuries Dublin Castle was the symbol, as well as the citadel, of British rule in Ireland. Its transfer to the representatives of the Irish people was greatly welcomed in Dublin. It was regarded as a significant outward and visible sign that British rule was ending. The handover of Dublin Castle occurred on 16 January 1922. The following is a summary of the account of what happened provided by The Times:
The following officiaI communique was afterwards issued from the Castle:
On leaving the Castle the members of the Provisional Government again received a great ovation from a largely augmented crowd. They returned to the Mansion House from where the Chairman of the Provisional Government, Michael Collins issued the following statement (referring to nothing less than a surrender of the Castle):
At the end of the day's events, the following telegram was sent from the King to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
:
Accountability
There was never again “a meeting of members of the Parliament elected for constituencies in Southern Ireland” after 14 January 1922 and neither the Treaty nor the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
The Irish Free State Act 1922 was an Act of the British Parliament passed on 31 March 1922. It gave the force of law to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was scheduled to the Act.-Main provisions:...
provided that the Provisional Government was or would be accountable to any such body. On 27 May 1922 Lord Fitzalan
Edmund FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent
Edmund Bernard FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent KG, PC , known as Lord Edmund Talbot between 1876 and 1921, was a British Conservative politician and the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.-Background:...
, in accordance with the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
The Irish Free State Act 1922 was an Act of the British Parliament passed on 31 March 1922. It gave the force of law to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was scheduled to the Act.-Main provisions:...
formally dissolved the Parliament of Southern Ireland
Parliament of Southern Ireland
The Parliament of Southern Ireland was a home rule legislature set up by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence under the Fourth Home Rule Bill...
and by proclamation called “a Parliament to be known as and styled the Provisional Parliament”. Under the terms of the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
The Irish Free State Act 1922 was an Act of the British Parliament passed on 31 March 1922. It gave the force of law to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was scheduled to the Act.-Main provisions:...
, the Provisional Government did become accountable to that Parliament. Therefore, between its formation on 14 January 1922 and 19 September 1922 (when the Provisional Parliament first met) the Provisional Government was responsible to no Parliament at all.
However, its members were also members of the Republican Dáil and that Parliament held meetings into June. The Dáil had no legitimacy in British law and under its own laws was the parliament to which another government was accountable – the Aireacht
Aireacht
The Aireacht or Ministry was the cabinet of the 1919–1922 Irish Republic. The Ministry was originally established by the Dáil Constitution adopted by the First Dáil in 1919, after it issued the Irish Declaration of Independence...
(Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
Government). The constitutional uniqueness of the situation was such that the viceroy Viscount Fitzalan remained in his post undisturbed for months after his "surrender", and in the summer of 1922 he frequently held military reviews of departing British soldiers in the Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
outside the then Viceregal Lodge
Áras an Uachtaráin
Áras an Uachtaráin , formerly the Viceregal Lodge, is the official residence of the President of Ireland. It is located in the Phoenix Park on the northside of Dublin.-Origins:...
.
Name of Provisional Government
Southern Ireland
Southern Ireland was a short-lived autonomous region of the United Kingdom established on 3 May 1921 and dissolved on 6 December 1922.Southern Ireland was established under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 together with its sister region, Northern Ireland...
. Nevertheless, the Provisional Government styled itself the Provisional Government of Ireland or (Rialtas Sealadach na hÉireann in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
) and overprint
Overprint
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage stamp or banknote after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public mail...
ed its postage stamps accordingly.
In addition, the Provisional Government is sometimes referred to as having been the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State. In law, the Irish Free State did not exist until 6 December 1922 at which point the Provisional Government ceased to exist (although those who had been its members were on that date elected as the first Executive Council of the Irish Free State
Executive Council of the Irish Free State
The Executive Council was the cabinet and de facto executive branch of government of the 1922–1937 Irish Free State. Formally, the role of the Executive Council was to "aid and advise" the Governor-General who would exercise the executive authority on behalf of the King...
).
Notwithstanding the above, to confuse matters somewhat, from 9 September 1922 the provisional Government of Southern Ireland was accountable to a Provisional Parliament – and that Parliament was not a House of the Parliament of Southern Ireland
Parliament of Southern Ireland
The Parliament of Southern Ireland was a home rule legislature set up by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence under the Fourth Home Rule Bill...
. This is because on 27 May 1922, Lord Fitzalan
Edmund FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent
Edmund Bernard FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent KG, PC , known as Lord Edmund Talbot between 1876 and 1921, was a British Conservative politician and the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.-Background:...
pursuant to the terms of the Free State (Agreement) Act
Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
The Irish Free State Act 1922 was an Act of the British Parliament passed on 31 March 1922. It gave the force of law to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was scheduled to the Act.-Main provisions:...
declared that the Parliament of Southern Ireland
Parliament of Southern Ireland
The Parliament of Southern Ireland was a home rule legislature set up by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence under the Fourth Home Rule Bill...
was dissolved and he called “a Parliament to be known as and styled the Provisional Parliament [of what was not stated]”
Throughout its existence, it was referred to by those who participated in it as Rialtas Sealadach na hÉireann, or in English, the Irish Provisional Government.
Background
Under the Irish RepublicIrish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
's Dáil Constitution
Dáil Constitution
The Constitution of Dáil Éireann , more commonly known as the Dáil Constitution, was the constitution of the 1919–22 Irish Republic. It was adopted by the First Dáil at its first meeting on 21 January 1919 and theoretically remained in force for four years. As adopted it consisted of only five...
adopted in 1919, Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
continued to exist after it had ratified the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
. In protest at the ratification, Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
resigned the presidency of the Dáil then sought re-election from among its members (to clarify his mandate), but Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. He served as President of Dáil Éireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.-Early life:...
defeated him in the vote and assumed the presidency. (Griffith called himself President of Dáil Éireann
President of Dáil Éireann
The President of Dáil Éireann was the leader of the revolutionary Irish Republic of 1919–1921. The office, also known as Príomh Aire , was created in the Dáil Constitution adopted by Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Republic, at its first meeting in January 1919. This provided that the...
rather than de Valera's more exalted President of the Republic.)
Most of the Dáil Ministers such as Reverend Christopher McCarthy became concurrently Ministers of this Provisional Government. Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
became Chairman of the Provisional Government (i.e. prime minister). He also remained Minister for Finance of Griffith's republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
administration. An example of the complexities involved can be seen even in the manner of his installation. In theory he was a Crown-appointed prime minister, installed under the Royal Prerogative
Royal Prerogative
The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the sovereign alone. It is the means by which some of the executive powers of government, possessed by and...
. To be so installed, he had to formally meet the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, Viscount Fitzalan of Derwent
Edmund FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent
Edmund Bernard FitzAlan-Howard, 1st Viscount FitzAlan of Derwent KG, PC , known as Lord Edmund Talbot between 1876 and 1921, was a British Conservative politician and the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.-Background:...
(the head of the British administration in Ireland). According to republican history, Collins met Fitzalan to accept the surrender of Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
, the seat and symbol of British government in Ireland. According to British constitutional theory, he met Fitzalan to 'kiss hands' (the formal name for the installation of a minister of the Crown), the fact of their meeting rather than the signing of any documents, duly installing him in office. Subsequent to the surrender, British soldiers and the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
(which was being disbanded) were called upon again by the Provisional Government to man the guard at Dublin Castle.
There was no other legal mechanism for the transfer of power than kissing hands, as the British "Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
The Irish Free State Act 1922 was an Act of the British Parliament passed on 31 March 1922. It gave the force of law to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was scheduled to the Act.-Main provisions:...
" that covered the transition was passed in March and only came into force on 1 April 1922. The relevant Order in Council signed on 1 April was the "Provisional Government (Transfer of Functions) Order, 1922".
Lack of control despite electoral success
As a transitional entity the Provisional Government needed co-operation to steer the creation of the Free State, ensure the smooth withdrawal of British forces and to restore the economy. Anti-treatyites, having opposed the Treaty in the Dáil, mostly withdrew from the assembly and, having formed an opposition "republican government" under Éamon de Valera, began a political campaign from March 1922. At the same time the powerful IRA Army Executive divided, and its anti-Treaty members refused to be bound by the Dáil vote that had ratified it. Barracks that were being evacuated by the British army, in line with the Treaty, were sometimes taken over by anti-Treaty forces. In some cases no government soldiers were available and take-overs had to be made by the new Garda SíochánaGarda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
police force. The Dunmanway killings in April emphasised the government's lack of control. A force led by Rory O'Connor
Rory O'Connor (Irish republican)
Rory O'Connor was an Irish republican activist. He is best remembered for his role in the Irish Civil War 1922-1923, which led to his execution.-Background:...
occupied four central buildings in Dublin on 14 April. The Provisional Government ignored this challenge to its authority, hoping that the occupiers would realise that they had achieved nothing, and leave. Instead some incidents at the Four Courts
Four Courts
The Four Courts in Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's main courts building. The Four Courts are the location of the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. The building until 2010 also formerly was the location for the Central Criminal Court.-Gandon's Building:Work based on...
in late June led to the open outbreak of the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
on 28 June.
Adding to the instability, the Provisional Government continuously and covertly supplied arms to the IRA in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in an attempt maintain IRA support elsewhere. This undeclared conflict was formally ended by the "Craig-Collins Agreement" of 30 March 1922, but Collins continued to supply arms until shortly before his death in August 1922. Provisional Government policy veered between trying to persuade the Government of Northern Ireland
Government of Northern Ireland
The Government of Northern Ireland is, generally speaking, whatever political body exercises political authority over Northern Ireland. A number of separate systems of government exist or have existed in Northern Ireland....
to join a re-united Ireland and trying to conquer it. A major concern was the welfare of Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland, many of whom suffered the harsh policing methods of the Ulster Special Constabulary
Ulster Special Constabulary
The Ulster Special Constabulary was a reserve police force in Northern Ireland. It was set up in October 1920, shortly before the founding of Northern Ireland. It was an armed corps, organised partially on military lines and called out in times of emergency, such as war or insurgency...
that was formed in late 1921 to deal with the IRA there. Collins' support for the IRA in the north prolonged the suffering, though from 2 August he did limit it to defensive actions. The Government lifted, then re-imposed and then lifted the "Belfast Boycott", designed to end the sale of Northern Irish goods in the south.
Following the general election
Irish general election, 1922
The Irish general election of 1922 took place in Southern Ireland on 16 June 1922, under the provisions of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to elect a constituent assembly paving the way for the formal establishment of the Irish Free State...
on 16 June 1922, held just before the civil war, the Second Irish Provisional Government took power until the creation of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
on 6 December 1922.
By mid-1922, Collins in effect laid down his responsibilities as President of the Provisional Government to become Commander-in-Chief of the National Army
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
, a formal structured uniformed army that formed around the pro-Treaty IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
. As part of those duties, he travelled to his native County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
. En route home on 22 August 1922, at Béal na mBláth (an Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
placename that means 'the Mouth of Flowers'), he was killed in an ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
. He was 31 years old. After Collins' and Griffith's deaths in August 1922, W. T. Cosgrave became both Chairman of the Provisional Government and President of Dáil Éireann, and the distinction between the two posts became irrelevant.
On 6 December 1922, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, Southern Ireland
Southern Ireland
Southern Ireland was a short-lived autonomous region of the United Kingdom established on 3 May 1921 and dissolved on 6 December 1922.Southern Ireland was established under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 together with its sister region, Northern Ireland...
and the Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
were replaced by the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
, with executive authority nominally vested in the King, but exercised by a cabinet called the Executive Council
Executive Council of the Irish Free State
The Executive Council was the cabinet and de facto executive branch of government of the 1922–1937 Irish Free State. Formally, the role of the Executive Council was to "aid and advise" the Governor-General who would exercise the executive authority on behalf of the King...
, presided over by a prime minister called the President of the Executive Council
President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State
The President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State was the head of government or prime minister of the Irish Free State which existed from 1922 to 1937...
. On 7 December the House of Commons of Northern Ireland
House of Commons of Northern Ireland
The House of Commons of Northern Ireland was the lower house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The upper house in the bicameral parliament was called the Senate. It was abolished with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act...
unanimously exercised its right under the Treaty to secede from the Irish Free State.
List of ministers
- First cabinet
- Second cabinet
See also
- Government of Ireland Act 1920Government of Ireland Act 1920The Government of Ireland Act 1920 was the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which partitioned Ireland. The Act's long title was "An Act to provide for the better government of Ireland"; it is also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bill or as the Fourth Home Rule Act.The Act was intended...
- Provisional Government of the Irish RepublicProvisional Government of the Irish RepublicIn the Easter Rising in Dublin on 24 April 1916, the Proclamation of the Irish Republic read by Patrick Pearse was headed and signed as being issued by the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic...
(1916) - Provisional governmentProvisional governmentA provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...