Event: Centenary of the Foundation of the Irish State – Voices from 6 December 1922

Tuesday, 6th December 2022, 1.10pm

A talk by Dr Thomas Mohr next month will examine the events of 6 December 1922, the foundation date of the Irish State.

It will do so by allowing the voices of those alive on that date to give their own impressions of this historic event. For many contemporaries the birth of the State was a miracle that fulfilled the dreams of generations of Irish people.

For others, in particular opponents of the Anglo Irish Treaty signed in 1921, the events of 6 December 1922 were a source of disappointment and disillusion. Many Irish unionists greeted the birth of the State with mixed emotions as one order passed into history while another sprang into life. All who lived in the Ireland of 1922 had to face the challenges of civil war and partition.

This event will allow voices drawn from contemporary newspapers, journals, cartoons and other sources to convey their own impressions of the birth of the Irish State. The birth of the State provided a unique opportunity for contemporaries to reflect on the Irish past but also on the future that lay ahead of the infant State. How accurate were these visions of the future? How closely do they resemble the Irish State of 6 December 2022? This event will present perspectives from 1922 while encouraging those in attendance to decide these matters for themselves.