Abstract
The perspective provided by the centenary of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the more recent fading of the Civil War political alignments that resulted from it offer an opportunity for a more detached understanding of why arcane differences over rival formulations of sovereignty produced such a devastating outcome. This essay assesses the circumstances leading to the truce of July 1921 and the course of the negotiations that followed. It evaluates the Treaty and the parliamentary debates that saw its ratification. The conclusion briefly considers the contested memory and legacy of a settlement that, for all its importance, generated little enthusiasm on either side of the Irish Sea.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Studio & State. The Laverys and the Anglo-Irish Treaty |
| Editors | Edith Andrees, Logan Sisley |
| Place of Publication | Dublin |
| Publisher | National Museum of Ireland |
| Pages | 11-24 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1-914470-01-1 |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2021 |
| Event | Studio and State exhibition, National Museul of Ireland/Hugh Lane Gallery - National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin, Ireland Duration: 23 Nov 2021 → 23 Dec 2022 https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Decorative-Arts-History/Exhibitions/Studio-State |
Conference
| Conference | Studio and State exhibition, National Museul of Ireland/Hugh Lane Gallery |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Ireland |
| City | Dublin |
| Period | 23/11/2021 → 23/12/2022 |
| Internet address |
Bibliographical note
Studio & State: The Laverys and the Anglo-Irish Treaty is a majorpublication coinciding with an exhibition co-curated by Hugh Lane
Gallery and the National Museum of Ireland to mark the centenary
of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
The exhibition features Sir John Lavery’s paintings of the Treaty
signatories and includes contemporary artefacts of the time from the
National Museum of Ireland’s collection, such as the fountain-pen
reputedly used by Michael Collins to sign the original Treaty document.
It considers the artist’s legacy, the role that John and Hazel Lavery
played during the Treaty negotiations and how they negotiated the
complex relationships between art, politics and history.
The negotiations for and signing of the Treaty were crystallising
moments for Ireland in the twentieth century. From its signing to
the heated Dáil debates, to its narrow ratification and the aftermath,
the Treaty was a vehicle of peace as well as a catalyst for civil war.
Sir John Lavery’s paintings provide an unparalleled record of this
pivotal moment.
This bespoke publication serves as an exhibition catalogue with
accompanying essays from some of Ireland’s leading historians,
curators, art historians and artists: Fearghal McGarry, Sinéad McCoole,
Fintan Cullen, Logan Sisley, Edith Andrees, Mick O’Dea, David Godbold
and Niamh McCann.
