Professor of Archaeology William O'Brien

The Responsibility for Partition Professor of Archaeology William O'Brien

In The Responsibility for Partition, first published in 1921, William O'Brien, founder of the All-for-Ireland League, vehemently opposes what is commonly referred to as the "Partition" of Ireland. The book largely comprises speeches that he made between 1914 and 1917 against the division of the island of Ireland into two separate political entities. In order to allay the concerns of the Protestants/Unionists in Ulster, O'Brien recommended that they be given the power of suspensory veto over bills passed by a Dublin Parliament, as well as other guarantees, in any all-Ireland settlement. However, it was an argument that he and his supporters were not to win. Northern Ireland was created as a separate legal entity on May 3rd, 1921. The Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) was established on December 6th, 1922.



CONTENTS

A Foreword (1921) The Warning (1914) A Final Protest before History (1914) The "Temporary and Provisional" Sham blown sky high (1916) The Fraudulent "Irish Convention" (1917) Appendix: Correspondence with the Prime Minister (1917)