Relatives mark 85th anniversary of British exit from Spike Island

In a ceremony lasting just seven minutes, military personnel from the then most powerful empire in the world handed the 'Treaty Port' of Spike Island over to the fledgling Irish state

Abby and Robyn Ryan with a historic photo of Éamon de Valera raising the Irish flag on Spike Island for the first time on July 11, 1938. The island is marking the anniversary with a new exhibition. Picture: Dan Linehan

Relatives of the first Irish troops involved in the British handover of the ‘Treaty Ports’ in 1938 gathered in Spike Island on Wednesday to commemorate the forthcoming 85th anniversary of the event. As part of the commemoration, several families donated documents and pictures of that momentous day to Spike Island museum for a new exhibition.

Museum curator Dorota Gubbins said the handover lasted just seven minutes when soldiers and sailors from the then most powerful empire in the world faced those from a tiny fledgling nation who would take over the port.