Irish Partition
Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Key Stage 3 - 5 | Interwar 1918 - 1939
Lesson Pack
Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Introduction
Suitable for:
Resistance to British rule in Ireland had existed for
hundreds of years. Irish nationalists, the majority of KS 3 - 5
them Catholic, resisted this rule in a number of peaceful Time period:
or violent ways up until the start of the First World War. Interwar
Irish nationalists wanted Ireland to be independent from 1918 - 1939
British control.
Connections to the
At the start of the twentieth century, Irish ‘Home Rule’, Curriculum:
the name given to the process of transferring rule from
British to Irish hands seemed likely and, as a result the
Key Stage 3
Unionist minority, a largely Protestant population, loyal to Challenges for Britain,
Britain and British rule, began to more actively resist the Europe and the wider world
idea. 1901 to the present day:
Ireland and Home Rule
Eventually, Irish Home Rule was granted, but it excluded
the six mainly Protestant counties of the province Key Stage 5
of Ulster (one of the four provinces of Ireland) in AQA GCE History: Challenge
the north-east corner of the island. This established and transformation: Britain,
Northern Ireland in 1920, which continued to be part c1851–1964: The condition
of the United Kingdom, while the Anglo-Irish Treaty, of Ireland and Anglo-
signed in December 1921, established the Irish Free Irish relations: the Easter
State as a Dominion of the British Empire. This meant Rising; the Anglo-Irish War;
that the Irish Free State was a self-governing nation of Government of Ireland Act
the Commonwealth of Nations which recognised the and Anglo-Irish Treaty;
British monarch as head of state.
Edexcel GCE A level: Ireland
Use the original sources in this lesson to find out how
and the Union, c1774–1923
Ireland was partitioned.
OCR GCE A level: Britain
and Ireland 1791–1921
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Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Contents
Introduction 2.
Teacher’s Notes 3.
Background 5.
Source One - Poster 6.
Source Two - Anglo-Irish Treaty 7.
Source Three - Letter 9.
Source Four - Map 11.
Tasks 13.
Teacher’s Notes
Irish Partition is a complex subject, especially because the historical background is so
important to understand in order to make sense as to what happened in the early 1920s.
The first source used in this lesson is a cartoon from 1910, which can be used to set up a
discussion around the longer term conflict around Home Rule, in Ireland and the rest of Great
Britain, i.e. that this was not a new issue immediately after the First World War, and that
there was resistance to it. The second source is an extract from the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which
essentially sets up the Irish Free State, and continues down that road leading to partition.
The next source discusses some of the concerns around the religious breakdown of Northern
Ireland after partition, and some of the problems associated with that, many of which
would (and still do) endure. The final source looks at this religious breakdown in more detail,
showing some of the complexities associated with attempting to come up with a sustainable
solution.
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Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Teacher’s Notes
Starter Activity
Teachers could use the lesson ‘illustration image’ at top as a starter activity to introduce the
topic of Home Rule for Ireland, or use it to build an understanding of the struggle for Home
Rule before the Irish Treaty and Government of Ireland Act. The cartoon also references John
Redmond who features in the carton for Source 1. Teachers could discuss with students the
meaning of the cartoon.
• What is happening in the cartoon?
• Who are the different people featured?
• What do you think the artist is trying to say about Irish Home Rule?
• What can we infer about Lord Rosebery’s attitude to Home Rule?
• What are the advantages / disadvantages of using political cartoons as evidence for
the past?
Teachers can explain that the Earl of Rosebery was a staunch upholder of the British Empire.
He led the Liberal party until Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman took over as Prime Minister
in 1905-1908 and was never part of government from then onwards. Sir Edward Grey was
Foreign Secretary 1905-1916. The bull is ‘labelled’ with the letters ‘C.B’ to represent Henry
Campbell-Bannerman who supported Home Rule, the animal has been drawn with his face.
The man carrying the basket of feed for the animal, which is labelled ‘Irish votes’, probably
represents John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party.
All documents are provided with transcripts. Students can work through the questions
individually or in pairs and report back to the class. It is worth considering with students what
other sources could help us understand the situation in Ireland before, during, and after
partition.
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Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Background
Britain ruled over the island of Ireland for hundreds of years and, during that time, there
had, to varying degrees, always been some form of resistance to that rule. This was either
demonstrated through violence, or through politicians taking up issues in Parliament.
Broadly speaking, there were two political viewpoints in Ireland. Irish nationalists, most of
them from the majority Catholic population, had attempted on a number of occasions to
bring about Home Rule for Ireland, and this idea started to gain momentum and became a
real possibility during the last decades of the 19th century. MPs in the Irish Parliamentary
Party, led by John Redmond, had allied themselves with the Liberal Party, who broadly
supported the cause of Irish Home Rule. Eventually, after a third attempt to pass through
Parliament, Home Rule became law in 1914.
There was also a large Protestant minority in Ireland, located largely in the north-eastern
county of Ulster, who believed that Ireland should remain as part of the United Kingdom.
These Unionists actively resisted calls for Home Rule, fearful that, as a Protestant minority,
should Home Rule be granted, they would be ruled by a Catholic majority.
Both sides reached the brink of civil war in 1914. The question of Home Rule was suspended
for the duration of the First World War, but immediately came back on the agenda at the
end of hostilities. So called Advanced Nationalists, led by the now dominant Sinn Fein, had
won most of the seats at the 1918 General Election and had decided to establish their own
Parliament in Dublin.
Conflict once again occurred, the Irish War of Independence lasting over two years, until
the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921 which brought it to a close and
established the Irish Free State. Not long before this, the Government of Ireland Act 1920,
had also allowed for the creation of a separate Parliament in Northern Ireland, which came
into being in June 1921, essentially partitioning the island of Ireland.
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Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Poster relating to Irish Home Rule, 1910
Catalogue Ref: COPY 1/353
Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
First page of the Article of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, December 1921
Title
Catalogue Ref: DO 118/51
Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Transcript
TREATY BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND
ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT
Ireland shall have the same constitutional status in the Community of Nations known as the
British Empire as the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of
New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa with a Parliament having powers to make laws
for the peace, order and good government of Ireland and an Executive responsible to that
Parliament, and shall be styled and known as the Irish Free State.
Subject to the provisions hereinafter set out the position of the Irish Free State in relation
to the Imperial Parliament and Government and otherwise shall be that of the Dominion
of Canada, and the law, practice and constitutional usage governing the relationship of the
Crown or the representative of the Crown and of the Imperial Parliament to the Dominion
of Canada shall govern their relationship to the Irish Free State.
The representative of the Crown in Ireland shall be appointed in lie manner as the
Governor-General of Canada and in accordance with the practice observed in the making of
such appointments.
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Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Letter addressed to the British Lord Chancellor from Charles
McLorinan, 1 June 1922 Catalogue Ref: HO 45/24812
Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Transcript
Daniel O’ Rorke & Son,
Chambers, 14 Donegall St.
Belfast
1st June 1922.
My Lord,
May I take the liberty of making a suggestion to you – solely in the interest of peace in this
part of the world.
The root cause of the trouble here is that the Catholics and the Nationalists feel that
Ulster was unfairly divided by the 1920 Act. The opposition of Ulster (all Ulster) was used
as an argument against Home Rule, but when it came to forming a separate Government
here, all Ulster was not taken as a unit, it was cut up in such a way as to empower 820,000
Protestants to rule over 420,000 Catholics. The result being that Catholics will not enter
the Northern Parliament. If all Ulster had been taken as a unit, there would have been
890,000 Protestants as against 690,000 Catholics. This would have enabled Catholics to
form a strong minority in the Northern Parliament so strong that they could have protected
themselves fairly well and perhaps in the near future, with the aid of liberal minded
Protestants, to get into office as happens in England and other civilised countries. As it is
Catholics see no hope of anything save being ruled for all time by their hereditary enemies.
This to them is an intolerable state of affairs. Sir James Craig told a friend of mine lately that
to induce Catholics to enter his Parliament he would be willing to give them representation
in proportion to their numbers in the six counties. This is a move in the right direction.
Could you not appoint some outstanding English statesman, in whom both sides would
have confidence, as a special commissioner to arrange the matter, just as the British
Government appointed Lord Durham in 1867 to settle the Canadian difficulty?
There is no great affection between Northern Catholics and South Catholics and if Northern
Catholics were treated fairly, they would support the Northern Parliament.
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Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Map of Northern Ireland with religious breakdown taken from the
Irish Boundary Commission Catalogue Ref: MPI 1/402
Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Transcript
NORTH EASTERN IRELAND
SHOWING COMPLEXION [makeup] BY RELIGIONS
1911 CENSUS
Coloured in accordance with calculations as supplied to me based on published Census
returns and Census documents
RED Non Catholic Majority
GREEN Catholic Majority
CROSS Equal
BLANK Uninhabited
LINE New Boundary
DOTTED LINE Old Boundary where it does not coincide with new
NOTE:- It has not been found possible to indicate on this map either the proportionate size
of majorities or the density of population in different areas. Urban districts are coloured
proportionately
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Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Tasks
Task One
Look at Source 1 - A poster from 1910 which shows the Irish nationalist leader, John
Redmond, who had been pressing the Liberal Party Government to pass the Home Rule Bill,
giving self-government for Ireland. Catalogue ref: COPY 1/353
Herbert Asquith’s Liberal government remained in power after two General Elections in
January 1910 and December 1910 with the support of the Irish Parliamentary Party led by
John Redmond. Liberals did not have a majority of seats in the House of Commons and the
Irish Parliamentary Party held the balance of power in Parliament. They were in a strong
position to push for Home Rule.
Irish Home Rule was finally granted in 1914, but was delayed because of the start of the
First World War, and partly also because Unionists, especially in the north-eastern province
of Ulster, were not happy with this outcome, and continued to threaten civil war.
• What is John Redmond (dressed in green) doing in this image?
• What is John Bull (dressed in red) doing?
• Do you know who John Bull was supposed to represent in political cartoons like
this? Can you find out?
• What do you think the artist is trying to say about Irish Home Rule?
• What are the advantages / disadvantages of using political cartoons as evidence
for the past?
Task Two
Look at Source 2 - First page of the Article of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, December 1921,
Catalogue ref: DO 118/51
Immediately after the First World War, Home Rule was further delayed. Therefore, Irish
nationalists led by Sinn Fein, meaning ‘we ourselves’, an Irish Republican party, took up
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Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Tasks
arms against British rule. This would become the Irish War of Independence.
After over two years of fighting, a treaty was finally signed in late 1921, which set out terms
for an Irish Free State, free from direct British rule.
• According to the Treaty, the Irish Free State will have the same status [position] to
which other countries? [Point 1]
• What powers will the Irish Free State now have? [Point 1]
• Who does Point 3 say will be the British (Crown) representative in Ireland?
• Do you think that all sides (in Britain and Ireland) found this result acceptable?
• If not, who might still be dissatisfied with these terms and why?
Task Three
Look at Source 3 - Letter addressed to the British Lord Chancellor from Charles McLorinan,
a Catholic living in Northern Ireland, 1 June 1922, Catalogue ref: HO 45/24812
When Northern Ireland was formed in 1920, it was decided, partly because of where
Catholic and Protestant populations lived, to only include six of the nine counties of Ulster
within the new state. Thus, the remaining three counties eventually formed part of the Irish
Free State.
• What does the author of the letter say was the main reason for the trouble which
still existed in the country?
• What was the result of Ulster being divided like this in terms of the religious
makeup of the people living there?
• What does the author of the letter suggest as a possible solution?
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Irish Partition Why was Ireland divided in 1921?
Tasks
Task Four
Look at Source 4 - Map of Northern Ireland showing the religious breakdown taken from the
Irish Boundary Commission, Catalogue ref: MPI 1/402
The Anglo-Irish Treaty had set out that an Irish Boundary Commission would be formed to
finalise the border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. It did not report until
1925, and recommended only minor changes to the border which had been set out in 1922.
It was feared that the decisions made by the Commission might cause additional unrest
and so it was agreed by the Irish Free State, Northern Ireland, and the British Government,
that the borders would remain as originally drawn. The Commission’s report was not made
public until 1969.
• Which areas of Northern Ireland are shown as mainly Protestant?
• Which areas of Northern Ireland are shown as mainly Catholic?
• What was the religious makeup around both the old and new borders of Northern
Ireland?
• What problems do you think this makeup could have caused for the Commission as
it attempted to finalise the border?
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