In the autumn of 1925, Irish Free State president of the Executive Council, WT Cosgrave, directed government departments to produce memoranda highlighting the main implications of territory potentially being transferred from Northern Ireland.
With the Boundary Commission’s award imminent, the British and Free State governments wanted to arrange for as smooth a transition as possible.
While the commission’s award and its report would ultimately be shelved, with the border remaining unchanged, the preparatory work highlights the importance of considering the many changes that might occur when territories undergo constitutional change – something that everyone who is contemplating such change in Ireland soon needs to bear in mind.
Under Article 12 of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, the boundary of Northern Ireland was to be determined by a Boundary Commission. No legislation was required, nor was any period of transition recommended between the announcement of an award and its enactment.
Lessons on preparing for constitutional change – Cormac Moore
Letter: ‘Gregory Campbell shouldn’t be allowed to rewrite history’
Fearing the dangers of the border being changed without prior notice, the British and Irish Free State governments met in London in July 1925 to discuss the arrangements they could collectively make for the required changes across multiple departments, and the need for a transitional period from announcement to enforcement.
A map showing the Boundary Commission's proposed changes to the border, including areas marked for transfer to Northern Ireland and to the Free StateIt was proposed that the “first essential was the preservation of law and order, and the administration of summary jurisdiction; next the postal services; then the fiscal services; and finally the........