2. 1922 – A new state is born
Irish Free State – 26 Southern (mostly Catholic) counties
Northern Ireland – 6 Northern (mostly Protestant) counties
At one point Northern Ireland was to have all nine counties of
Ulster but it was decided that six would be easier to control
New Free State money –
replaces Pound Sterling

3. Cumann na nGaedheal – main
party of the Irish Free State
New Political Party, formed from “Pro-Treaty” Sinn Fein TDs
Main Aims: Accept treaty, move on and develop 26 counties
Early leaders – Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith (both died in
1922)
New Leaders were William Cosgrave and Kevin O’Higgins
Hated by the anti-treaty IRA – O’Higgins was murdered by IRA
in 1927
Helped set up new 26 County State – called the “Irish Free
State”

4. Cumann na nGaedheal was a party
promoting “Law and Order”
Felt that IRA “gunmen” were no longer
needed in Ireland

5. Cumann na nGaedheal leaders

6. Cumann na nGaedheal leaders
Cosgrave
O’Higgins

7. Challenges facing the Irish Free
State

8. Challenges facing the Irish Free
State
Challenges

9. The New Government
Army Mutiny
Economic Challenges
Taxes kept down but then little money for schools, hospitals etc
Lack of coal led to development of Ardnacrusha Hydroelectric
Power station
Electricity Supply Board (ESB) established
Joined League of Nations to show independence
Worked with other members of the British Commonwealth to
gain more freedom – British eventually passed Statute of
Westminster and allowed Commonwealth countries more
freedom

10. Ardnacrusha Power Station

11. Challenges to the New
Government
Boundary Commission
Many people hoped for the Treaty to give land to Irish Free State
from Northern Ireland
Commission was set up to decide on border but it’s report was
never implemented because nobody liked its ideas
Fianna Fail
Eamon De Valera set up Fianna Fail – most anti treaty members
of Sinn Fein joined it
Entered the Dail in 1927 after DeValera decided to take the Oath
to the King

12. Foreign Affairs
Main Goals of
the Free State
Government

13. 2011 Higher Junior Cert Exam

14. Fianna Fail
Leader, 1927 Leader, 2014

15. Fianna Fail and the 1932 Election
By the time 1932 came around people were fed up with the
country being so poor
De Valera promised to create jobs if elected to Government
and eventually won the 1932 election
Many Fianna Fail TDs carried guns into the Dail after the 1932
election in case Cosgrave (Cumann na nGaedhael) refused to
hand over power
In the end Cosgrave handed over power peacefully and Fianna
Fail took over leading the country

16. What is the main promise that
Fianna Fail is making here?
How was that different from
Cumann na nGaedheal’s election
promises?

17. Fianna Fail
elected in
1932

18. 2005 Junior Cert (Higher)

19. Quick Quiz – True or False
The leaders of the Anti-treaty side of Sinn Fein formed
Cumann na nGaedheal
William T. Cosgrave was the leader of Fianna Fail
Ireland’s first Hydroelectric scheme was built on the River Lee
Eamon DeValera established Fianna Fail in the 1920s
Kevin O’Higgins was murdered by the IRA in 1927
The Boundary Commission was set up to decide on the
boundary between France and Germany after WW1
Fianna Fail were the winners of the 1932 election

20. Fianna Fail in Government 1932-39

21. Sean Lemass – De Valera’s “right
hand man”

22. DeValera in power
IRA banned after refusing to give up violence
Offences against the State act passed in 1939 – allowed
DeValera to imprison people without trial (internment)
Began to change the Treaty – incl the Oath
Took a step by step approach to getting rid of the links to
Britain – same idea Michael Collins had
Insulted the King’s Representative in Ireland (Governor
General) and forced him to resign

23. Governor General’s House – who
lives there today?

24. The Economic War

25. Fianna Fail and the Economy
De Valera wanted to develop the economy and placed
tariffs (special taxes) on British goods
Also stopped paying land annuities to Britain (payments
on loans given by Britain to Ireland in the 1900s)
This annoyed the British and they reacted by putting
tariffs on Irish products – this was known as the Economic
War
Caused great hardship in Ireland
Sean Lemass was a Fianna Fail minister who worked hard
to develop the economy in the 1930s

26. 2010 Higher Paper

27. Bunreacht na hEireann – a new
Constitution

28. The Status of Women in the new
constitution
“1° [...] the State recognises that by her life within the
home, woman gives to the State a support without which
the common good cannot be achieved.
2° The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that
mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to
engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the
home.

29. The Blueshirts

30. The Blueshirts
In the 1920s those in the IRA who were opposed to the treaty
often disrupted Cumann na nGaedheal meetings
The Blueshirts (also known as the Army Comrades
Association) were set up to protect CnaG people at these
meetings
Eoin O’Duffy was leader
What type of leader did the Blueshirts admire?

31. Eoin O’Duffy

32. DeValera bans the Blueshirts
DeValera felt that the Blueshirts were becoming a threat to his
Government and banned them
In response, Cosgrave and O’Duffy formed a new party to
oppose DeValera – this new party was known as Fine Gael
O’Duffy became leader but resigned after just one year

34. Shannon Airport – Major Fianna
Fail achievement

35. Who are these people at Shannon
Airport?

36. End of the Economic War – peace
with Britain
In 1938 World War 2 was on the horizon
Britain wanted to have Ireland’s support in the war
Agreement was quickly reached between DeValera and
Chamberlain (British Prime Minister)
Ireland got it’s three “treaty ports” back – this allowed it
to be neutral in World War 2
Had to pay £10 Million to Britain for land annuities
Tariffs reduced – helping the economy on both sides