December 7: TODAY in Irish History:
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Snippets of Irish History by Conor Cunneen IrishmanSpeaks 
Conor is a Chicago based Motivational Humorous Business Speaker, Author and History buff.
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WATCH: A Short History of Ireland
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1879: Birth of Austin Stack.
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- Austin Stack 1879-1929
Austin Stack, 1916 rebel and Anti-Treaty nationalist is born in Co. Kerry.In 1916 Stack was commandant of the Kerry Brigade of the Volunteers and involved in the attempt at arms importation by Roger Casement at Banna Strand. Both men were arrested as a result of the botched operation.
Stack was originally sentenced to death for his activities during 1916. As a Sinn Fein abstentionist candidate, he was elected MP for Kerry West in 1918. He fought in the Irish Civil War against the Treaty, was captured by government troops and spent 41 days on hunger strike. He was released in 1924.
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1921: De Valera Summons Collins, Griffith to Emergency Meeting
Disturbed at reports from London as to the Treaty signature, a furious De Valera issues an announcement that “In view of the nature of the proposed treaty with Great Britain, President De Valera has sent an urgent summons to the members of the cabinet in London to report at once so that a full cabinet decision may be taken.”
SEE: Handwritten government minute.
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1922: Northern Ireland Opts Out of Free State
One day after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty granting Ireland independence as a Dominion of Great Britain, the parliament of Northern Ireland exercises its option to opt out of the Irish Free State and petitions King George V:
“MOST GRACIOUS SOVEREIGN, We, your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Senators and Commons of Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, having learnt of the passing of the Irish Free State Constitution Act, 1922, being the Act of Parliament for the ratification of the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland, do, by this humble Address, pray your Majesty that the powers of the Parliament and Government of the Irish Free State shall no longer extend to Northern Ireland.”
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- Dear King George……
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Thus six counties of the north of Ireland – Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry become an autonomous entity of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom.
When Michael Collins and colleagues agreed the treaty in December 1921, they believed that a promised Boundary Commission would significantly alter the partition of Ireland and drastically reduce the size of the proposed Northern Ireland. The Boundary Commission proved to be totally ineffective and Northern Ireland remained as six counties. The first Prime of Northern Ireland was hard line unionist James Craig who was to state “All I boast of, is that we are a Protestant Parliament and a Protestant State,” echoing to some extent what De Valera would state later about the Catholic Irish Free State.
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Want to learn more about Ireland? See these images and more in the acclaimed For the Love of Being Irish
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This history is written by Irish author, business keynote speaker and award winning humorist IrishmanSpeaks – Conor Cunneen. If you spot any inaccuracies or wish to make a comment, please don’t hesitate to contact us via the comment button.
Visit Conor’s YouTube channel IrishmanSpeaks to Laugh and Learn.
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