merrion street

I am delighted to be here in the National Archives today to launch the "TREATY" Online Exhibition.

The 90^th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty is looming. It’s a document which has shaped modern Irish history from the moment it was signed. This took place in the aftermath of the truce which ended the War of Independence in dramatic circumstances in 10 Downing Street in the early hours of Tuesday 6 December 1921. The Treaty established the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion with independence in virtually all matters of practical government, together with complete control of its resources.

I have taken a personal interest in the Public Record Office, which was the precursor of the National Archives, from the time I was elected and was frequently in communication with Brendán MacGiollaChoille, then head of the office. Between 1979 and 1986 the Public Record Office mounted several exhibitions in the Castlebar Education Centre and provided lectures to historical societies in Mayo.

Regarded by signatory Michael Collins as a stepping stone to freedom, the Treaty was acquired by the National Archives of Ireland from the Department of the Taoiseach in 2002 and has never before been made available for public consderation, either in its original form or online. - Until now!

It is probably true to say that only a tiny minority of Irish people have ever seen the actual Treaty document itself. The Treaty document that forms the centerpiece of this exhibition is completely unique in that it is the original Irish document. Its British counterpart, held by the National Archives of the United Kingdom, which some of you may have already seen, differs in that the signatures are juxtaposed – the English delegates have signed on the left, the Irish on the right.

At the heart of the ‘Treaty’ online exhibition is the 90-year-old document itself, whose importance is contextualised by documents such as the Dáil Éireann Cabinet minutes and archives relevant to the negotiations and signing of the Articles of Agreement, thereby enabling everyone to follow the decisions taken by the Irish delegation at a crucial turning point in our country’s history.

Documents will be released on the exhibition website from today on a daily basis to coincide with the 90^th anniversary date of the documents themselves, culminating in the online release of the Treaty on Tuesday 6 December.

Given that the Treaty negotiations form a core component of the Leaving Certificate history curriculum and given the general public interest in the personalities who figured prominently in this period of our history, this commemorative exhibition created and launched by the National Archives will disseminate a pivotal and hitherto unseen document amongst the widest possible audience worldwide.

In this exhibition you will also see that Michael Collins received a critical advance loan of £50 to cover his expenses in travelling to England for the opening of the Treaty negotiations on 11 October 1921, remarking that:

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."Some of the exhibition components include

- High quality images of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921;

- A searchable gallery of selected documents relating to the negotiations drawn from the Dáil Éireann archives;

- ‘Treaty Reflections’ – representatives of the NAI’s key stakeholders and constituents give their reflections on the significance of the Treaty for Ireland 90 years later (It includes contributions from former Ministers and TDs: Nora Owen, and Martin Mansergh);

- A National Archives’ video entitled ‘Treating the Treaty’, giving a behind-the-scenes insight into the work of National Archives’ staff in preserving this pivotal State document entrusted to our care;

- British Pathé news clip on the aftermath of the Treaty signing featuring footage of some of the members of the Irish and British delegations outside Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street where the agreement was signed;

- Biographies of the Irish and British signatories taken from the Dictionary of Irish Biography and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, kindly provided gratis by the Royal Irish Academy/Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press;

- Dáil Éireann archives searchable finding aid which includes digitised cabinet minutes from 1919–1922, never before seen online;

- The portraits by Sir John Lavery of the Irish and British delegates, sourced from the Hugh Lane Gallery; and

- A Timeline of events (1919–1922)

This entire venture is a classic example of the results that can be achieved in the cross-cultural and academic spheres through cooperation, collaboration and the strategic use of digital resources.

The project was completed at a very modest cost, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris Flynn in the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for having the foresight to fund it.

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation for the work of Elizabeth McEvoy, Tom Quinlan and other staff in the National Archives for driving this from start to finish, particularly Eamonn Mullally for photographic work, and E-bow for their work in developing the website to handle this and future online exhibitions.