The Irish Free State, Saorstát Éireann, Comes Into Being

The Irish Free State, in Irish Saorstát Éireann, came into being on December 06, 1922.

The Irish Free State (6 December 1922 – 29 December 1937), was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921.

The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between the forces of the Irish Republic – the Irish Republican Army (IRA) – and British Crown forces.

The Treaty was signed on December 06, 1921, between representatives of the United Kingdom and the Irish negotiators, including Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith.

Anglo-Irish Treaty

The treaty marked the end of the Anglo-Irish War (1919-1921) and paved the way for the establishment of the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion within the British Commonwealth. The Irish Free State officially came into existence a year later, on December 06, 1922.

The Free State was established as a dominion of the British Empire. It comprised 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland. Northern Ireland, which was made up of the remaining six counties, exercised its right under the Treaty to opt out of the new state.

The new state had its own government and constitution, and it marked a significant step towards Irish independence, although the terms of the treaty were contentious and led to divisions among Irish political leaders. The Irish Free State eventually evolved into the Republic of Ireland, which formally declared itself a republic and left the Commonwealth in 1949.