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Irish Free State

1922 CE – 1937 CE · capital Dublin

The self-governing dominion of twenty-six Irish counties established by the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922, the forerunner of modern Ireland.

Origins

The Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921 created the Irish Free State as a dominion of the British Commonwealth, with the British monarch as head of state and an oath of fidelity. It came into being on 6 December 1922, during the civil war between pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty republicans.

Rule and society

The Free State's first government under W. T. Cosgrave won the civil war in 1923, built a civil service, an unarmed police force, the Garda Siochana, and the Shannon hydroelectric scheme. It joined the League of Nations in 1923. Eamon de Valera's Fianna Fail took power in 1932 and dismantled Treaty links, removing the oath and fighting an economic war with Britain.

Decline and legacy

A new constitution, approved by referendum in 1937, replaced the Free State with Ireland, or Eire.

Lineage

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801 CE – 1922 CEIrish Republic 1919 CE – 1922 CESouthern Ireland 1921 CE – 1922 CEIrish Free StateIreland 1937 CE – present

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Irish Free State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/irish-free-state
MLA
“Irish Free State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/irish-free-state. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Irish Free State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/irish-free-state.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Irish Free State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/irish-free-state (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻