The Root of All Evil: The Irish Boundary Commission

by Cormac Moore

Described by Ulster Unionist leader James Craig as the ‘root of all evil’, the Boundary Commission that convened in 1924 was a symbol of hope for nationalist Ireland and fear for unionist Northern Ireland. Offered to Sinn Féin plenipotentiaries to help push the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty over the line, it was believed the Commission would transfer large tracts of the six counties back to the newly established Free State.

However, delayed by the Civil War and Unionist non-cooperation, and hampered from the start by the vague and ambiguous wording of the clause in the Treaty, by the Irish government’s naivety, by the intransigence of unionists, and by the duplicity of successive British governments, it ultimately bolstered the unionist cause, leaving the border unchanged. Swathes of Northern nationalists were abandoned to their fate, their trust in both British and Free State governments irrevocably damaged.

One hundred years on, Cormac Moore illuminates the fascinating and infuriating story behind the Boundary Commission’s momentous failure, which would have long-lasting, catastrophic consequences for the entirety of the island of Ireland.

336 pages, Paperback

Published June 12, 2025

Reviews

[Rob Keenan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Regardless of the sizeable obstacles which MacNeill faced, it is heard to disagree with the Derry Journal’s assessment that his performance was marked by ‘inertia, incapacity and appalling ineptitude’.”

Heartbreaking read.

[Aine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the most interesting aspects of this book are around assumptions and stereotypes, particularly by the Free State government of Craig and the unionists’ motivations or by many involved in the Boundary Commission about the relative importance of tenant farmers and labourers compared to ratepayers, and I would have liked to have seen more about how those views impacted approaches to negotiation, how widespread they were, etc.

[Joe]

I feel Moore did a great job contextualising the boundary, and it felt quite vivid in how the obvious meticulousness of his research allowed him to make it be centered around the characters of the time - in discussions, in British government, Irish government, in the population of the ulster counties considered. It was no ‘structurally unavoidable’ matter - personalities and coincidence got us into the mess that we were left with.

[Mal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4, 6, 9? 4.5? It was all on the table. Excellent read. The book's title might give the impression that its focus is the Boundary Commission itself, set up to define the formal border for Irish Partition. But, really, you get a comprehensive view of the period and events that defined Partition.