JANUARY 26 LABOUR COMMENT

The Boundary Commission 1924-25

JANUARY 26 LABOUR COMMENT

The Boundary Commission 1924-25

COMMISSION established in 1924, in accordance with Article 12 of the Anglo-Irish ‘Treaty’.  Its brief was—

“to determine in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants, so far as may be compatible with economic and geographic conditions, the boundaries between Northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland”. 

For many who accepted the Treaty, including Michael Collins and Arthur Griffiths, the promise of this Commission allowed them to hope that so much of Northern Ireland would revert to the Free State that the remaining statelet would not be a viable economic unit.

The Commission sat for most of 1925, under the Chairmanship of Justice Richard Feetham, a South African.   The Free State representative was Eoin MacNeill, while J. R. Fisher, a unionist journalist, represented Northern Ireland:  he was nominated by London because the Northern Ireland Government had refused to make an appointment.

On 7th November 1925, the findings of the Commission—namely that the Border should remain as it was for “economic and geographic reasons”, except that South Armagh would go to the Free State and part of East Donegal to Northern Ireland—were controversially leaked by the Morning Post, a London daily.  Eoin MacNeill resigned, protesting that he could never have agreed with such findings. 

The affair was resolved for the time being when the three Governments agreed, on 3rd December 1925, that the border should remain as it was.

The Commission sat from 5th November 1924 to July 1925, during which time it considered 130 submissions and examined 585 witnesses.  The Commissioners agreed not to publish or disclose their findings until they had agreed on a joint report.

The Morning Post revealed that the Commissioners would leave Counties Antrim, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone as they were, while a majority Protestant area of east County Donegal (which included St. Johnston, Killea, Carrigans, Bridgend and Muff) would become part of Northern Ireland, while south County Armagh would become part of the Free State.

In all, the Commission proposed that 183,290 acres and 31,319 people—of whom 27, 843 were Catholics—would transfer to the Free State, while Northern Ireland would receive 49,242 acres and 7,594 people—of whom 4,830 were Protestants.  The effect of the proposed changes would be to reduce the area of Northern Ireland by 3.7% and its population by 1.8%.  The length of the border would be shortened from 286 miles to 229.

“MacNeill resigned, accusing the Chairman of having subordinated the wishes of border inhabitants to political influence;  Feetham had in fact interpreted the commission’s brief in accordance with the letter of article 12.  On December 3, 1925, the three governments agreed that the border should remain as fixed by the Anglo Irish Treaty and the Government of Ireland Act (1920).  The Irish Free State and Northern Ireland were relieved of their financial liabilities under the Treaty, and Northern Ireland was to retain powers conferred on it by the Government of Ireland Act.  The Free State assumed the total cost of the damages incurred during the period 1919-22, and the payment of Land Annuities to the British government was to continue.  The British government transferred its powers under the Council of Ireland to Northern Ireland” (A New Dictionary of Irish History from 1800, Hickey & Doherty, Gill & Macmillan-2003).

Éamon de Valera vehemently opposed the 1925 Boundary Commission’s outcomes, viewing them as a profound betrayal of the Irish people, especially Nationalists in the North, who had been promised the opportunity to join the Free State under Article 12 of the Anglo-Irish Treaty;  he saw the Commission’s failure to deliver significant border changes as exposing the Treaty’s flaws and cementing partition.

The report of the Commission was published in 1969.

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CAHIR HEALY, MP On the Boundary Agreement

(Irish Independent, 5th December 1925):

The Nationalists of Fermanagh are overwhelmed with amazement that any men representing the country can sign such a document.  It is a betrayal of the Nationalists of the North and a denial of every statement put forward by the Free State in their alleged support of our case since 1921.

They are doing exactly as Judge Feetham proposed to do;  they are ignoring the wishes of the people.  The Parliament of the Six Counties has been given additional powers in the cancellation of the Council of Ireland without any guarantee that this power will not be used for the persecution of large Nationalist majorities in the border areas.  For what have the Nationalists being sold?

The Free State Ministers always maintained that, instead of paying Great Britain anything, they were entitled to receive a large sum, as restitution for over-taxation.  They have betrayed their trust.  Time will decide if this betrayal will not bring its retribution.  John Redmond was driven from public life for even suggesting partition for a period five years.  The new leaders agree to partition forever.