Council of Ireland facts for kids

The Council of Ireland was a group planned in 1920. Its job was to make some laws for all of Ireland. This included both Northern Ireland and what was then called Southern Ireland. Later, its role would only be for Northern Ireland. The Council was supposed to have 41 members. These members would come from the parliaments of both parts of Ireland. A special leader called the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland would choose its President. However, the Council of Ireland never actually met. It was officially ended in 1925.

Why Was the Council of Ireland Created?

The Council of Ireland was set up by a law called the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Its main goal was to help unite Ireland in the future. It also aimed to create good teamwork between the governments of Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Council was meant to:

• Help the two parts of Ireland work together.
• Encourage people from both sides to talk and trade.
• Make sure certain services, like roads or post, worked the same way across all of Ireland.

The Council could make rules about things that both the Southern and Northern Irish parliaments could handle. These rules would need approval from the King, just like new laws.

How Was the Council of Ireland Established?

The Council was officially created on May 3, 1921. The House of Commons of Northern Ireland chose its 13 members for the Council. These members included important figures like James Craig, who would become Northern Ireland's first Prime Minister.

However, the parliament for Southern Ireland, called the House of Commons of Southern Ireland, never really worked. Most of its elected members chose to join a different group called the Second Dáil, which was working for an independent Ireland. Because Southern Ireland's parliament did not choose its members, the Council of Ireland never had all its members. This is why it never met.

Changes to the Council After the Anglo-Irish Treaty

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in 1921. This treaty created the Irish Free State in most of Ireland. Northern Ireland chose to stay part of the United Kingdom.

After the Treaty, the plan for the Council of Ireland changed. If Northern Ireland chose to opt out of the Irish Free State (which it did), the Council would continue. But its powers would only apply to Northern Ireland. It would no longer be an "all-Ireland" body.

Even though its powers would only be for Northern Ireland, the Council would still have 40 members. Half would be chosen by the Irish Free State parliament, and half by the Northern Ireland parliament. This meant the Irish Free State could still have some say in Northern Ireland's affairs. Because of this, the government of Northern Ireland did not trust the Council. The Council still never met.

In January 1922, Michael Collins, who led the government in Dublin, met with Sir James Craig, the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. They agreed to try and find a better way to deal with issues affecting all of Ireland, instead of using the Council of Ireland.

Why Was the Council of Ireland Abolished?

The Council of Ireland was finally ended in 1925. This happened after a group called the Irish Boundary Commission failed to agree on the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State.

On December 3, 1925, the governments of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, and the Irish Free State made a new agreement. This agreement officially transferred all the powers of the Council of Ireland to the Parliament and Government of Northern Ireland. This meant the Council was no longer needed. Northern Ireland's government did not want to work towards a united Ireland in the near future, so the Council's original purpose was gone.

See also

• 1973 Sunningdale Agreement, which also included a "Council of Ireland"
• North/South Inter-Parliamentary Association and North/South Ministerial Council, set up under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement