The Tripartite Agreement and the Final Irish Border Settlement
Following the leak of the Boundary Commission's report, the high-stakes Tripartite Agreement of 1925 established that the border would remain unchanged, ensuring Northern Ireland conceded no territory. In exchange for accepting the existing boundary, the Irish Free State was relieved of its crippling obligation to pay a share of the UK's imperial debt, estimated at roughly £150 million. However, W.T. Cosgrave’s government faced severe backlash and a major political crisis for prioritising this financial reprieve over the interests of Northern nationalists, who were effectively abandoned by the deal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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49:40
Selling the Border for Financial Freedom
This episode centers on the crisis created by the leaked award of the Irish Boundary Commission in November 1925, which was abysmal for nationalists as it suggested the Free State would lose parts of Donegal and Monaghan, leading to the resignation of Free State Commissioner Eoin MacNeill and creating the biggest crisis Cosgrave’s government faced since the Civil War. President Cosgrave rushed to London to attend conferences with British Premier Stanley Baldwin and Northern Premier Sir James Craig, determined to bury the report because the findings were politically unacceptable, despite being in a weak negotiating position. Free State negotiators, particularly Kevin O'Higgins, leveraged the threat that their government’s collapse would result in a Republican regime to shift the negotiation focus towards shelving the boundary issue (Article 12) in exchange for waiving the Free State’s substantial financial contribution to imperial debt under Article 5. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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42:23
Eoin MacNeill's SHOCK Resignation and the Boundary Commission Collapse
This episode concentrates on the 1925 Boundary Commission crisis and its fallout for the Free State, triggered by the dramatic resignation of Free State representative Eoin MacNeill around November 22nd. We also discuss the concurrent debate among anti-Treaty Republicans, including Éamon De Valera, about whether to abandon their abstentionist policy and enter the Free State parliament amidst the political instability. Finally, we address a listener query on the distinct development of healthcare systems, particularly the role of religious hospitals, in Northern Ireland and the Free State following Partition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Ireland's Forgotten Sacrifice & How the First World War Changed Everything
The episode explores the immense influence of World War I on Irish history from setting the stage for the Easter Rising and War of Independence to motivating over 200,000 Irish volunteers (Catholic and Protestant) to enlist, often for economic reasons or in anticipation of Home Rule. Tim & Cormac discuss the 1918 anti-conscription campaign, which powerfully united nationalist Ireland against British rule. They also address the difficulties faced by returning veterans and the challenges confronting Protestant communities in the Free State post-partition, including antagonism and violence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Boundary Commission's Collapse: The 1925 Morning Post Leak
This episode of the Irish History Boys is dedicated to dissecting the political fallout generated by the explosive November 7th, 1925, Morning Post leak—the event described by sources as the climax of the entire Irish Boundary Commission saga.The Morning Post's forecast, initially met with skepticism, proved almost on the money, revealing that the Commission was planning only rectification on lines convenient to both sides and not at any large transfers of territory. This outcome, involving mere tiny little tinkerings with the border, was instantly recognised as a complete unionist victory.Join us as we examine how a single newspaper leak derailed the Boundary Commission and solidified partition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Comedian Tim McGarry and Historian Cormac Moore select the stories from the archives of The Irish News that bring Irish history to life in enlightening and amusing ways. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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