From waiters to administrators: Remembering all the men and women of the Treaty

Most of the 70 Irish people who set out to win the peace 100 years ago today — including key administrators such as Kathleen McKenna — have been forgotten. But now their descendants are setting out to tell their extraordinary stories

Collins, Griffith, and a handful of other members of the Irish delegation — pictured in Holyhead on their way to London — are well-known names. But many of the expert advisers and administrators (including five women appointed by the Dáil) as well as security staff, drivers, housekeepers, cooks, waiters, and chaperones, are all but forgotten. Picture: Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In August 2020, a group of descendants decided to find a way to commemorate the contribution of the men and women who formed the Irish delegation sent by Dáil Éireann to negotiate peace in London in 1921, and, in the spirit of ethical remembrance, to do so in an inclusive, apolitical, and person-centred way.

The personal stories are as important as the historical event, and we owe it to them not to forget what they accomplished for us in their lifetime.