Yet again the British were not prepared to accept external association. Dominion status was as much as they were prepared to offer. The British made some minor changes to the Irish memorandum, which included adding an oath of allegiance to the British crown. This British draft was given to the Irish delegation and they returned to Dublin to discuss these terms with the cabinet.
The Dáil Cabinet Debates the British Proposals
The Dáil’s cabinet had mixed opinions on the British draft. There was anger that the delegates had not secured external association. De Valera and some of his ministers, including Cathal Brugha, were not prepared to accept dominion status – they believed it did not give Ireland enough independence. The cabinet also rejected the oath of allegiance, even if it meant the resumption of hostilities between Britain and the IRA.
Griffith tried to explain to the cabinet that the British were not prepared to accept external association – that dominion status was as far as they would go. However, his colleagues on the negotiating team, Childers and Barton, suggested that better terms could be achieved, thus contradicting Griffith and Collins’ position. The cabinet rejected the British terms. The delegates were told to return to London and put forward the demand for external association once more. They were instructed not to sign anything without first coming back to Dublin to consult with the Dáil cabinet.
Cathal Brugha.
When the delegates returned to London they had no ‘Plan B’ if the British were to again reject their demands. Meanwhile, de Valera was touring Ireland stating that he was demanding an Irish republic. This highlights the difficult position the Irish delegation was in. De Valera and some of his ministers were still adamant that a republic was the goal of Sinn Féin, while the Irish delegation was all too aware that this was unachievable.
The Dáil in Dublin. 158 LEAVING CERTIFICATE HISTORY
