Sinn Féin Ard Fheis

Introduction from Chronology

At Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, pro- and anti-Treaty sides agree that (a) no election would be held in next three months; (b) that the Dáil would continue to function as before Treaty and (c) new constitution would be put to the people at same time as they would be asked to vote on Treaty. 

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Denis McCullough tells the Ard Fheis that “While they were making up their minds on the Treaty their people in the North were being murdered day by day”.    Phoenix says that the pleas of the 300 Ulster delegates to maintain unity (in the face of the violence directed against nationalists in the north-east) were one of the main factors influencing the compromise outlined above.  Hopkinson says that there was an implicit assumption that the new constitution would be republican in character. 

Quoting Kissane, Ferriter points out that “three months was a long time to allow events to drift”.  This is especially true given the febrile atmosphere at this time. 

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