From Crown to Harp: How the Anglo-Irish treaty was undone 1920-1949

by David McCullagh

British power’s crown in Ireland sparked a treaty dispute, but governments achieved a republic without shots through pressure and luck.

The crown was the symbol of British power in Ireland, and in December 1921 opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty claimed that its terms tied Ireland to the Crown forever. The new Irish Free State would be within the British Commonwealth, with limited sovereignty. And some believed it would stay that way if the Treaty was accepted.

 And yet, within 16 years, Ireland had become a republic. A dozen years after that, it acquired the name as well and removed any ambiguity about its constitutional status by formally leaving the Commonwealth. And all without the firing of a shot.

 This peaceful revolution had been achieved by a succession of governments of different parties and a cast of characters that included a monarch prepared to surrender his throne for love; a British prime minister who made Irish neutrality possible and another who did his best to bully or bribe Ireland into World War II. What had seemed impossible in 1921 had been achieved through relentless pressure, considerable skill and no small amount of luck. This is the story of how it happened.

Genres: Politics, Ireland, History

400 pages, Hardcover

Published December 22, 2025

About the author

David McCullagh began working as a journalist with the Evening Press before joining RTE, where he currently presents the broadcaster’s flagship current affairs programme, Primetime.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough and well researched. Gives a great insight into an era of Irish history that I wasn’t as familiar with. Really enjoyable to learn just how much shithousery Dev was doing to annoy the British.

[booklady]

The kindle version of this is ridiculously expensive--almost $29. I thought the whole point of kindle was to have an inexpensive alternative. 🙄

[Seán Dunne]

An excellent outlaying of the facts, albeit one suffering from laboriousness in its second act. This may be a product of the subject matter rather than the author, however. A distinguished read.