Ireland

A Timeline of Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland from 1919 to present day

In January 1919, members of Sinn Féin refused to take their seats in Westminster. Instead they formed their own parliament Dáil Éireann and pushed for self-governance. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921 granted self-government to 26 counties of Ireland, to be named the Irish Free State, while the other 6 counties in the north remained a part of the United Kingdom. The treaty included a clause which stated that the government of Ireland had to swear allegiance to the British monarch. Members of Sinn Féin, including leader Éamon de Valera refused to take this oath and did not take their seats in government. In 1931 the Statute of Westminster passed full authority to the Irish Free State. Éamon de Valera founded a new party Fianna Fáil and when he was elected he abolished the Oath of Allegiance. In 1937 de Valera changed the constitution and the Irish Free State became Ireland. In 1949 Ireland became the Republic of Ireland.

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