The Irish Boundary Commission: A History

Under Article 12 of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, if Northern Ireland, which had been in existence since the summer of 1921, opted not to join the Irish Free State, as was its right under the treaty, a boundary commission would determine the border ‘in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants, so far as may be compatible with economic and geographic conditions’. Although Northern Ireland was nominally included in the Irish Free State, it took the first opportunity to opt out of the Dublin jurisdiction in December 1922, which then triggered the Boundary Commission to be established. Despite delays, the Irish Boundary Commission eventually convened but was abruptly halted in late 1925, without any changes to the border being made. This paper will look at the reasons why the Boundary Commission ended so controversially 100 years ago this year.