The Story of Ireland

By Brian Igoe

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The Story of Ireland Irish History - The Beginning Irish History - Brian Boru Irish History - Brehon Aidan Irish History - Strongbow and the Normans Irish History - The Geraldines Irish History - Break with Rome Irish History - Derry adn Rory O'More Irish History - Cromwell and transport Irish History - Charles II and James II Irish History - Battle of the Boyne Irish History - Penal Laws Irish History - Grattan and Catholic Emancipation Irish History - Georgian Dublin Irish History - Year of the French Irish History - Daniel O'Connell Irish History - The Great Famine Irish History - Irish in America Irish History - Transport Revolution Irish History - The Fenians and Parnell Irish History - The Easter Rising Irish History - War of Independence Irish History - Civil War Irish History - De Valera Irish History - Sean Lemass to Paisley Irish History - Irelands call Irish Music and Theatre

Chapter 23 - 1922 - 1949. De Valera to the Republic of Ireland

Ireland spent the next fifty years growing up, from adolescence to adulthood, a process which had taken England four hundred years. And she did it very well indeed.

But now, and from now, we must make a distinction between Ireland, by which I refer to the Free State, ire in Irish; and Northern Ireland, often mistakenly called Ulster. Certainly Northern Ireland is in Ulster, but Ulster, the Province, is not all in Northern Ireland because Counties Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan are in Southern Ireland. And perversely, the northernmost part of the island of Ireland is in the South. Ah well, that's Ireland.

The pro-Treaty party, the majority wing of the old Sinn Fin party, was now called Cumann na nGaedheal . The name actually came from a party founded by Griffith in 1900 and subsequently merged into Sinn Fin. They would later become Fine Gael. The leaders had of course been Collins and Griffith, both now dead, so the mantle fell upon William Thomas Cosgrave.

That is the first paragraph of the chapter, which then goes on to look at Sinn Fin, Minister for Local Government, Cumann na nGaedheal Government in 1923, self-governing dominion within the British Empire, like Canada or Australia or New Zealand, Garda Sochna (Civic Guards), Free Trade, Kevin O'Higgins, anti-Treaty IRA extremists, Oath of Allegiance, De Valera, Fianna Fil, Labour Party, Treaty Ports, a new Constitution, Governor-General, President, Taoiseach, Senate, Catholic Church, Northern Ireland, Second World War, General Election of 1948, Fianna Gael, the Labour Party, John A. Costello, a Republic, December 1948, Republic of Ireland, the Ireland Act of 2nd June 1949, Northern Ireland.

The Book is called 'The Story of Ireland'.

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©2008 - Brian Igoe