Fergus Finlay: To blink, to ink: I feel for Collins and the pressure he was under in 1921

One hundred years on from the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty it is worth recalling that tactics often matter more than substance when negotiating with the British

Patrick Mayhew, John Major, John Bruton and Dick Spring with a Framework for the Future of Northern Ireland that was fundamental to laying the groundwork for the Good Friday Agreement.

So, it’s 100 years since the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 was signed, and we’re still talking about it. Who was right, who was wrong? Who were the better negotiators? Who blinked?

Our State wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the treaty. Neither, of course, would Northern Ireland. The two most dominant political parties in our Republic throughout most of our history wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the Treaty.