11 July 1921: ‘The Truce’ began at 12 noon on this day. This
brought to an end organised military operations between the Irish Republican
Army and the British Crown Forces during the Irish War of Independence. The
negotiations leading up to the cessation of hostilities had been concluded some
days previously at the Mansion House [above] in Dublin between representatives
of the Irish President Eamon de Valera and the British Prime Minister Lloyd
George. The British CIC in Ireland General Macready assented that his troops
would obey what orders they were given from London.
On July 8th at the close of discussions at the Mansion
House, de Valera telegraphed to to Lloyd George that he was ready to meet and
discuss with him ‘on what basis such a conference as that proposed can
reasonably hope to achieve the object desired’. Lloyd George telegraphed that
he would be happy to see de Valera, and any colleagues he would wish to bring
with him, at Downing Street. De Valera replied that he would be in London on
the following Thursday, July 14th.
General Macready was now invited to the Mansion House ; the
general principles governing the Truce was agreed upon and liaison officers
were appointed to conduct discussions between the two armies on matters of
detail, Robert Barton and Eammon Duggan for the IRA, and truce terms were
discussed. ...It was not until 3pm on the 9th that terms were finally agreed
to.
The Irish Republic by Dorothy Macardle
The terms agreed were that no British reinforcements would
enter Ireland, raids and arrests would cease and secret operations end. The
Irish in turn agreed to cease attacking the British, not to interfere with
private or British owned property and not to disturb the peace that would
necessitate military interference. Both sides agreed not to engage in
provocative displays of their respective forces, armed or unarmed.
The following day an Irish Delegation consisting of Eamon de
Valera, Arthur Griffith, Austin Stack and Robert Barton departed for London to
open negotiations with the British Government. The Lord Mayor of Dublin Laurence
O'Neill, Count Plunkett and Erskine Childers also accompanied the delegation.
It looked like the violence that had wracked Ireland for the last two and a
half years was coming to an end.
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