Original copy of 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to be displayed for the first time
Members of the Irish delegation at the signing of the Irish Free State Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland, London, England, December 6, 1921. The delegation includes, seated from left: Sinn Fein founder Arthur Griffith (1871-1922); EJ Duggan, minister for finance; Michael Collins (1890- 922) and politician Robert Barton (1881-1975). Standing from left are author Robert Erskine Childers (1870-1922); lawyer George Gavan Duffy (1882-1951); and John Chartres. Picture: Mansell/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
An original copy of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty is set to go on public display for the very first time next month, to mark the first centenary of the agreement.
Described as the “most famous” document in Irish history, the National Archives is launching an exhibition in Dublin Castle relating to the Treaty which formalised the separation of Ireland, but saw the departure of British forces from 26 counties, on the creation of the Irish Free State.
The exhibition – The Treaty 1921: Records from the Archives – will not only display the Irish copy of the deal, one of only two originals in existence, but will also display a host of other key documents relating to the talks in London between October and December 1921.
The exhibition will explore how the Irish delegation, led by Arthur Griffith, took up residence in not one but two houses in London during the talks amid security concerns for Michael Collins in case the negotiations collapsed.
Griffith and the rest of the delegation stayed in Hans Place in Knightsbridge, while Mr Collins and his IRB security team stayed in Cadogan Gardens in Kensington.
A plane was kept at the ready at Croydon airfield to evacuate Collins from London in case a speedy exit was required.
Among some of the other items to be put on display include invoices from some of London’s most exclusive shops for stationary and other items for members of the delegation.
While the archives are strictly non-political, the hope is the exhibition will help explain to the public what happened within the divided Irish delegation during the talks as well as the short final Treaty document, which is only 1,800 words long.
“Using the Treaty itself as the centrepiece, this exhibition places significant documents from the collections of the National Archives on public display for the first time,” a statement from the National Archives said.
Tickets are free and can be obtained here.
- The exhibition will first go on display in the Coach House Gallery, Dublin Castle, from December 6 to March 27 next. It is then expected to go on a tour around the country thereafter.
