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1921 |
- June Sir James Craig became the first Prime Minister of Northern
Ireland.
- July Truce ended the War of Independence.
- December Anglo - Irish Treaty signed which created the Irish
Free State.
|
1922 |
- January: Treaty narrowly approved by Dail Eireann.
- June Attack on the Four Courts marked the beginning of the Civil
War.
- August Death of Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins.
- September Third Dail assembled. William T. Cosgrave, President of
the executive council (or head of Government). The King was head of
state and his representative in Ireland was the Governor General.
|
1923 |
- May The Civil War ended.
- September Irish Free State entered the League of Nations
|
1924 |
- March: "Army Mutiny" crushed by Kevin O' Higgins.
The National Army was never to question or try to undermine the lawful
government after this event.
|
1925 |
- November: Findings of the Boundary Commission leaked. Irish government
agreed to maintain the existing border thereby making Partition permanent.
|
1926 |
- May De Valera set up Fianna Fail.
|
1927 |
- July Kevin O' Higgins assassinated.
- In August Fianna Fail forced to take the oath and enter the Dail.
The party emerged as the main challenger to Cumman nan Gaedhael.
|
1929 |
- October: Shannon hydro-electric scheme commenced operations.
|
1931 |
- December: The Statute of Westminster gave effective legislative independence
to the Dominions of the British Empire.
|
1932 |
- February Foundation of the Blueshirts (The Army Comrades Association).
De Valera and Fianna Fail came to power in the election of that month
as the leaders of a minority government. They were to remain in office
until 1948.
- June Land Annuity payments to Britain withheld. Economic war between
Britain and Ireland began
|
1933 |
- May Oath removed from the constitution. This was part of de Valera’s
policy of dismantling the Treaty. Role of the Governor General greatly
reduced also.
- August: Blueshirts outlawed. In the following month, the Blueshirts,
Cumann na nGaedheal and the Centre party joined together to form Fine
Gael.
|
1934 |
- December: Coal - Cattle pacts (with Britain) eased the Economic war.
|
1936 |
- December: Abdication of King Edward VIII allowed de Valera to remove
references to the crown and the Governor General from the Constitution.
|
1937 |
- June A new constitution “Bunreacht nah Eireann” approved
by a narrow majority in a referendum. The new constitution made “Ireland
a republic in all but name”.
|
1938 |
- April Anglo- Irish agreement ended the trade war. Treaty ports returned
to Irish control.
|
1939 |
- September: Southern Ireland declared its neutrality on the outbreak
of WW II.
|
1940 |
- November: J.M. Andrews succeeded Craig as prime minister of Northern
Ireland.
|
1941 |
- April-May Belfast heavily bombed by the Germans.
|
1943 |
- April: Sir Basil Brooke became Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.
- Pensions, Free education and hospital care introduced into Northern
Ireland after World War II (The welfare State).
|
1948 |
- February: Fianna Fail lost its grip on power. Coalition government
under J.A. Costello took over. This was called the first Inter-Party
government.
- December: Ireland left the Commonwealth and became a republic.
|
1951 |
- April: Crisis over Noel Browne’s proposed “Mother and
Child” scheme.
May General election: Fianna Fail returned to power under de Valera.
|
1954 |
- May Second Inter-Party government elected with Costello as leader.
|
1955 |
- December: Ireland joined the U.N.
|
1957 |
- March Fianna Fail returned to power. They were to stay in government
until 1973.
|
1958 |
- December Publication of T.K. Whitaker’s Economic Development
that led to the first Programme of Economic Expansion that heralded
a period of rapid economic growth in Ireland.
|
1959 |
- June De Valera elected president and Sean Lemass succeeded him as
Taoiseach.
|
1961 |
- December RTE. began broadcasting for the first time.
|
1963 |
- March Terence O’Neill took over as prime minister of Northern
Ireland from Brooke.
|
1965 |
- January Lemass and O’Neill met in Belfast and the following
month in Dublin.
|
1966 |
- April 50 anniversary of the 1916 rising.
- November Jack Lynch replaced Lemass as Taoiseach.
|