Collins - Craig Meeting in Dublin
Introduction
from Chronology
Follow-up to January 21st London meeting with another meeting
between Craig and Collins in Dublin Castle. Their talks breakdown on the
issue of amount of territory to be called into question with Boundary
Commission.
More Detail
Serious differences emerged over settlement of the boundary issue.
Collins put forward a series of alternatives based on different ways finding
out majorities (i.e. counties, constituencies, county
council areas, Poor Law areas, etc.) – all of which would have given large
tracts of the Six Counties to the Free State. Afterwards, Craig told
reporters that he had British government’s assurances that the Boundary Commission
would make only minor changes and said that “no inch of Ulster’s soil being
surrendered”. However, on February 4th,
Collins issues a statement saying that the South would not coerce the northeast
but would not allow them to coerce their nationalist minority. (See also
Feb-01-22/1.) Anti-partitionists were in a clear majority in Fermanagh and
Tyrone, and in Derry City and Armagh. Collins said “majorities must rule,
and … on that principle we secure immense anti-partitionist areas”. This was a coming into the open of the
conflicting assurances that Llyod George had (deviously?) given the Irish
delegation and his own cabinet during the Treaty negotiations.
Also, discussed was the situation of the expelled workers.
Unemployment situation meant that Craig could not get Catholic workers
re-employed in Belfast shipyards. Craig undertook to ensure that expelled
workers were engaged in relief work. Collins was also of the impression
that political prisoners would be released.
Two related issues: (1) Macardle says
that Collins, on his own initiative cancelled the Belfast Boycott which the
Dáil had imposed and Curran says that he lifted the boycott on January
24th. It seems, according to Phoenix, both were right. Collins did
undertake – on his own initiative – to drop Belfast Boycott at his meeting with
Craig in London on January 24th. But he got it formally
dropped on the 24th – see Jan-24-22/3. (2) On the issue of
recognising the Northern parliament, Hopkinson says that Collins did not want
to recognise Northern Ireland parliament but, as noted above, Macardle suggests that he had implicitly done this by
entering into discussions with Craig.
Collins also called for an all-Ireland parliament to draft a
constitution for the whole country. The
alternative was “a resumption of the old disturbances, the old conflicts, the
old animosities”.
Matthews says that the breakdown of the First Collins-Craig Pact
exploded like a bombshell in the ranks of the British Coalition government as
Westminster was due to begin debating the Irish Free State (Agreement)
Bill.