PR81/1/3 Anglo-Irish Treaty, Ulster Special Mission and Civil War (1921-1929)
Reference: PR81/1/3
Date: 1921-1929
Title: Level:
Anglo-Irish Treaty, Ulster Special Mission and Civil War
Extent: 302 items
series
Scope and Content: Substantial series of files dating primarily to the period 1921-1922, with one sub-series of correspondence continuing to 1929. These records date to the period after Diarmaid Fawsitt’s departure from the consulate in New York and return to Cork in the summer of 1921. This period marks a critical juncture in Fawsitt’s career when he is appointed Technical Secratary to the Minister of Economic Affairs, Robert Barton, T.D. In this role Fawsitt departed for London to join the plenipotentiaries present at the Anglo-Irish peace treaty negotiations in the autumn of 1921. Fawsitt’s position as secretary and his membership of the Economic Relations Committee of the Ministry of Economic Affairs involved the sourcing and drafting of paragraphs for inclusion in an anticipated treaty on trade with Britain (ref. PR81/3/B). Files are present containing official documents, correspondence and other items including newspaper cuttings or copies. Fawsitt’s passport and letters to the British authorities requesting permission to travel to countries in western Europe provide an interesting insight to British policy in dealing with republicans of a mainly diplomatic or political than militaristic background (ref. PR81/1/3/A). Documents of national importance are present for Fawsitt’s special mission to Belfast late in the winter of 1921. These include reports written for the Irish cabinet on private interviews between Fawsitt and members of the business community in the north in connection with their attitudes to the economic implications of partition and the more immediate impact of the republican boycott on northern goods (ref. PR81/1/3/C). An unusual set of Royal Irish Constabulary records dating to the period immediately following the Anglo- Irish truce of 1921 are also present (ref. PR81/1/3/H). These files include RIC reports on republican activities in the counties of Mayo and Galway. Fawsitt’s tenure as judge on the circuit court would later take him to this part of Ireland and it is likely these files came into his possession at this date. Other sub-series include files of correspondence between Fawsitt and a number of his key contacts including the former mayor of Syracuse, New York, James K. McGuire (ref.PR81/1/3/I/01). These provide a unique insight into Irish-American attitudes to the treaty negotiations, treaty debates, and the divided landscape of the civil war era.
PR81/1/3 Anglo-Irish Treaty, Ulster Special Mission and Civil War (1921-1929) PR81/1/3/A Appointment as Technical Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs (Sep - Nov 1921) 46 PR81/1/3/B Anglo-Irish Peace Conference and Economic Relations Committee, Ministry of Economic Affairs (c.1915 - Nov 1921) 49 PR81/1/3/C Ulster Special Mission (Nov 1921 Jan 1922) 54 PR81/1/3/D Anglo-Irish Treaty, London Negotiations (Jun - Dec 1921) 62 PR81/1/3/E Anglo-Irish Treaty, Dail Debates (Dec 1921 - May 1922) 70 PR81/1/3/F Elections to Dail Eireann (Jan - Jun 1922) 81 PR81/1/3/G Civil War (Aug 1922 - Apr 1925) 88 PR81/1/3/H Royal Irish Constabulary Weekly Intelligence Reports from the Galway Brigade (May - Dec 1921) 94 PR81/1/3/I Personal letters of correspondence to and from Diarmaid Fawsitt (Apr 1921 - Feb 1929) 99
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