Not to beat this horse to a bloody pulp, but to clarify: the Irish Free State, which certainly did become a republic in 1921 although it did not officially take that name until 1949, ceased to be subject to British legal control by the treaty of independence. However, Ireland did remain in the British Commonwealth for the time being for the very practical reason that after centuries as a British colony, Ireland's economy was so closely tied to that of the British Empire that it would have been a disaster (for Ireland), then a very poor area precisely because of long colonial exploitation, to try to disengage itself immediately. (Members of the British Commonwealth enjoyed preferential trading privileges.) There remained two important issues, however, that caused most citizens of the Irish Free State to believe that they were still being exploited by the former colonial power, but these had nothing to do with religion per se. (Indeed, there was a massive exodus of the Ang! lo Iris h from the southern counties in 1921, so the Protestant population in the republic declined to a negligible number.) The first issue was that as a condition of granting independence, the British retained rights to Ireland's principal ports, including Dublin, Waterford, Cobh, and Limerick. In return, Britain pledged to defend Ireland against foreign enemies. This was not necessarily a popular arrangement, but it was true that the new state was in no condition as of yet to carry out that function itself. The ports were returned to Ireland in only 1938 as a conciliatory gesture toward the Irish when it became clear just how much of a threat Nazi Germany had become; Britain hoped that Ireland would then see its way clear to allow Britain to use the ports as naval bases in the event of war. That didn't happen, much to Churchill's disappointment, but Ireland did at least remain neutral in World War II, which was probably the best that the British could have hoped for in the light of the history of its long occupation of Ireland and the recentness of independence. The other issue had to do with mortgages that still had time to run that Irish citizens had taken out to buy land under the Ashbourne Act. The British assumed that the holders of these mortgages would continue to pay the interest and principal due to the British government--which had financed the mortgages--until they were completely paid off. However, Eamon de Valera, who was in power at the time, said no to that, probably largely because the Irish economy was in such a bad state that it would have created great economic hardship to allow those assets to be siphoned of and sent to Britain; payment also seemed to the Irish as a step back from the independence for which they had struggled for so long. Of course, de Valera's refusal was extremely politically popular for obvious reasons and made something of hero. The British then declared "economic war." It boycotted Irish products and essentially revoked Ireland's Commonwealth trading rights, making daily life very diffi! cult fo r the Irish, who had yet to develop extensive non-Commonwealth trading relationships. (Those of you who had living relatives in Ireland at the time have probably heard the same horror tales about that era that I have.) In many ways this felt a lot like the centuries of colonial exploitation, but its intent was very different: Britain was in effect saying to Ireland, "You wanted to be independent, and we granted your wish. How do you like it now?" Nancy At independence in 1921, the British assume that the Irish government would continue to pay the interest on mortgages for land purchase contracted under Ashbourne Act. Eamon de Valera said no to that one. -------------- Original message from "mike" <michael.mertle@comcast.net>: -------------- > 21st December 1948Creation of Republic of IrelandThe Irish Free State was > granted full independence from Britain under the terms of the Republic of > Ireland Act. However, the six northern counties remained part of the United > Kingdom. > > > Mike > > > -------Original Message------- > > From: ngray.phale@att.net > Date: 04/21/08 20:31:06 > To: irl-longford@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [IRL-LONGFORD] Catholic Land Ownership > > Mike, > > You're right about Northern Ireland, although some of the discrimination up > through the 1990s was primarily a result of property qualifications for the > vote (which favored the much better off Protestants) rather than blatant > anti-Catholic legislation. However, I was puzzled by the 1948 date for the > establishment of the Republic of Ireland, which may refer to the departure > of Ireland from the British Commonwealth in 1949. (The Irish Free State > dates to 1921, although the Irish Civil War broke out over the issue of > partition immediately, and the treaty recognizing the separation of the six > Ulster Counties was not ratified until 1925.) > > As you noted, there was no anti-Catholic legislation in the South after the > foundation of the Irish Free State; it just happened considerably earlier > than 1948. Quite the contrary, the constitution of the Republic recognizes > the special status of the Catholic Church in the life of the Irish people > and, particularly during the lengthy period of time that Eamon de Valera was > in office, clerical influence was so strong that even many Irish Catholics > thought that it might be overdone. Originally, the constitution also > asserted the claim of the Republic on the six counties in the North, > although that has quite recently been removed in hopes of reaching a > peaceful agreement with the Ulster unionists. > > Nancy > -------------- Original message from "mike" : > -------------- > > > > Anti catholic legislation existed until 1948 when the Irish Republic was > > established and > > until 1998 in Northern Ireland > > > > here is a fair time line > > http://www.historyonthenet.com/Chronology/timelinenorthernireland.htm > > > > Mike > > > > > > > > -------Original Message------- > > > > From: king133@juno.com > > Date: 04/21/08 15:19:36 > > To: irl-longford@rootsweb.com > > Subject: [IRL-LONGFORD] Catholic Land Ownership > > > > Hi Mike, > > Thanks for the input. I keep forgetting that land ownership was a problem > > for Catholics. > > > > Question: About what time period could Catholics own land in Longford? > > > > Thanks, > > Charlie King > > > > > > Mike wrote: > > If you are researching Catholics, there is a great probability of movement > > > as they were not > > allowed to own property at the time, so you were at the mercy of a English > > landlord and to the > > ability to pay the rent.. In addition townlands are relatively small units > > > so the bigger the family > > the more likely the children, at the least, moved on. (some are not much > > bigger in land area than a > > suburban development of today, but dependent on farming not industrial > work, > > so there is > > a limit on the amount of people it would support) > > > > Mike > > > > _____________________________________________________________ > > Compete with the big boys. Click here to find products to benefit your > > business. > > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno > > com/TGL2111/fc/Ioyw6iifXQ84y4ECNDv0TJt0lpETniwb21DcabRWdwhZrSyOmBmQeo/ > > > > > > > > ********************************** > > Griffith's Valuations: > > http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.php/ > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > IRL-LONGFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > -- > > No virus found in this incoming message. > > Checked by AVG. > > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.2/1389 - Release Date: 4/21/2008 > > 8:34 AM > > > > ********************************** > > Griffith's Valuations: > > http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.php/ > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > IRL-LONGFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes > > in the subject and the body of the message > ********************************** > Griffith's Valuations: > http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.php/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRL-LONGFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.2/1389 - Release Date: 4/21/2008 > 8:34 AM > > . > ********************************** > Griffith's Valuations: > http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.php/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IRL-LONGFORD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message