Cumann na nGaedeal

Establishing the Free State

Origins
Sinn Fein split and the Pro-Treaty side became Cumann
na nGaedheal while the Anti-Treaty side remained Sinn
Fein

The British leave

This means all civil servants need to be reestablished.
Tax must be re-established.
Local Authorities must be re-established.
Police must be re-established.
Education must be re-established.

The New Government has limited

Finances
What should they spend their money on?
What do they have to waste their money
on?

The Civil War

Threatens the new government

Financially if they win
Politically if they lose!
A quick end to the Civil War is crucial
Michael Collins is apprehensive about
being militant with old comrades

22/8/1922
Michael Collins is assassinated in Beal na
mBlath in West Cork.
He is replaced by Kevin OHiggins who
intends to take no more Prisoners of war!
With the death of Liam Lynch who was leader
of the Irregulars the Civil War came to a quick
end.
He had been hunted down by the Regular army
in the Tipperary mountains.

After Collins Death

Cumann na nGaedheal was led by William
T. Cosgrave who was Preseident of the Free
State until 1932
Vice President was Kevin OHiggins

Challenges
to set up a new state
to rebuild the economy after damage caused
by the wars
get normal political life started again (ie.
Settling disputes through voting and
discussion instead of violence)

Task 1: The Constitution

There would be a general election every
five years
All citizens over 21 ( both men and women)
could vote for TDs to represent them in the
Dail.
The Dail elected the government, decided
the taxes and made the laws

 Because of the treaty the head of the Free

State had to be the king and all TDs had to
take an oath of loyalty to him.
All citizens were guaranteed freedom of
religion and freedom of speech
Only a referendum in which all of the people
could vote would change the constitution

Task 2: Rebuilding the Economy

Main Irish industry was around Belfast which
was now part of Northern Ireland
Apart from the Guinness brewery and Jacobs
biscuit factory Free States main industry was
farming
Exports of cattle, poultry and bacon to
Britain paid for imports of coal, cotton, tea,
etc.

 The farmers were encouraged to increase

production so exports would increase
Taxes were kept low to encourage
businessmen to start industries
Government did nothing for poor people or
poor farmers. To keep taxes low it cut old
age pensions and refused to build houses for
those living in slums

 Henry Ford set up a car factory in Cork at

this time

Task 3: Police force

An Garda Siocana set up by Kevin
OHiggins in 1923
Public Safety Act 1923 permitted internment
and flogging for crimes such as arson and
armed robbery (more than 12,000 interned
between 1923 and 1932).
Courts of Justice Act introduced new court
system to replace English system

Task 4: Education
Ordered that Irish be taught in schools but
they failed to revive the language as it was
not spoken in everyday business.
Introduced Intermediate and Leaving
Certificate and the education system
changed little until the 1960s

Boundary Commission
3 man commission set up as part of the
Anglo-Irish Treaty to decide on the boundary
One Irishman, one Englishman and one
South African judge (neutral?)
Part of Donegal to be given to Northern
Ireland with the Republic due to receive
South Armagh and Fermanagh

 Irish delegate leaks report and Irish uproar

results in Boundary being left as it is.
Commissions failure is a major problem for
the governments stability.

Army Mutiny
Government had an army of 60,000 during
Civil war
When the war ended they reduced the army
by over a half due to the expenses
Army threatened mutiny
Eoin ODuffy (Garda Commissioner) was
given command of the army.

 This forced Richard Mulcahy to resign.

government promised that they would
establish a pension scheme for the army.
those who take the pay and wear the
uniform of the State must be its nonpolitical servants Kevin OHiggins.

The establishment of Fianna Fail

De Valera refused to take his seat as an
opposition TD in the Dail with the rest of
Sinn Fein as they refused to take the oath to
the king.
this stopped him from getting to vote on
important Dail decisions.
De Valera said that he would take his seat if
the oath was abolished

 Other hard line Sinn Feiners said that they

would not enter even then. They would
only enter if there was a Republic
De Valera left Sinn Fein in disgust and set
up Fianna Fail (the soldiers of destiny)

General Election 1927

Fianna Fail win 44 seats but Refuse to take
seats as a result of the oath.
A few weeks later the IRA murdered Kevin
OHiggins and Cosgrave said that any TDs
refusing to take the oath would lose his seat.
De Valera and Fianna Fail TDs swallowed
their pride and took up their seats.
Normal Politics had commenced.