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1937 June 11th: The Irish Free State composed of (26) of the Counties of Ireland, which were previously also Partitioned by the British Government and returned under the Anglo - Irish Treaty of 1922 to the Irish people from the actual total 32 Counties of Ireland brought in a new Constitution by referendum of the Irish people by 685,105 to 526,945 in the 34 Constituencies under Eamonn de Valera and the Fianna Fail Dail Eireann. Under the British External Relations Act the King of Britain still had the right to sign for the right of any Irish Diplomatic Representative in foreign states, which was the only concession left to Britain for Ireland, and it was now only recognized by association. The Seanad - Senate's right of veto was abolished and the Irish Free State was to become officially now known, in the Gaelic language, as Eire - Ireland. The Catholic Church was given a special position only in the Country, which now had a 90% Catholic Irish population and Eamonn de Valera refused to formally establish it as the State Religion and the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province by the British Government from the whole of Ireland were re - claimed. Eamonn de Valera as the Taoiseach - Prime Minister until 1948 removed the reference to the British Monarch from the Irish Constitution and told the Dail Eireann that no problems now stood in the way of Ireland becoming a Republic. The British Governor - General was not replaced for 3 years and the British Government in England was now under the leadership of Neville Chamberlain their new Conservative Prime Minister, until 1940, and he would not allow Ireland to have an Ambassador there.

August 26th: Eamonn de Valera informed Germany that Ireland would stay neutral in any outbreak of War, unless attacked, and was to do so until 1945.

December 29th: The new Irish Constitution creating Eire and removing the British King and British Governor - General came into force and the British Government declared the new Constitution did not effect Ireland's membership in the Commonwealth.

1938 Douglas Hyde a non - Catholic was now the 1st President of Eire - Ireland and Sean O Kelly was to be the vice - Premier in Eire - Ireland until 1945 and Eamonn de Valera tried to encourage the Official Unionist Stormont Parliament in Belfast in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province to join with the Dublin Parliament. - The British Government did not re - open the Artificial Partitioned Border question.

January 14th: Sir James Craig aka Lord Craigavon the leader of the Official Unionist Party who was now 67 year old called a General Election for the Stormont Government in the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province and the Official Unionists won again by gaining 39 of the 52 seats although a group of Progressives there defected to try and bring about reform there they did not win any seats

January 17th: The Catholic Bishop of Down & Connor in the 6 Artificially Partitioned Counties from the 9 in the Ulster Province asked the Irish Delegates who were going to meet with the British Conservative Government to object strenuously on the Border Partition as the discrimination and gerrymandering in the 6 Counties by the Official Unionist Party was rife and they were also contacted by the Irish Nationalists in the Stormont Parliament there to also stand firm on the Border Partition. Eamonn de Valera, Sean Lemass, Sean Mac Entee and Dr. James Ryan met with Neville Chamberlain the British Conservative Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers and tried to discuss the removal of the Border Partition to recreate Unity in Ireland but they were told there would be no discussion as Lord Craigavon - James Craig had said, "He would not give an inch." They were then to settle on the return of the Irish Ports and the end of the Economic War with the removal of the excessive duties on all Irish goods.

January 18th: The return of the Irish Ports to Ireland was confirmed by Neville Chamberlain the British Conservative Prime Minister who also surrendered the previous British Government right to deploy British forces in them during War time as per the 1921 Anglo - Irish Treaty.

January 19th: The matter of the Irish Land Annuities were discussed and Neville Chamberlain wanted a Lump Sum Payment of 104,000,000 pounds being 78,000,000 Land Annuities and 26,000,000 other payments accrued and Eamonn de Valera offered him 10,000,000 pounds as a Final Payment take it or leave it. February 23rd: The Irish Delegates continued their discussions with Neville Chamberlain and his Conservative Cabinet members in England.

March 3rd: They all met again in London, were Neville Chamberlain the British Conservative Prime Minister requested the Fianna Fail Government in Eire - Ireland to also grant free entry to the goods from the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province that were still under the control of the Ascendancy Official Unionist Party.

March 12th: The Dail Eireann - Irish Assembly - held a meeting to discuss their progress in the British negotiations where they received confirmation that the Irish Ports would definitely be returned and that Article 6 and 7 were to be removed from the Anglo - Irish Treaty and they would settle for a Final Payment of 10,000,000 pounds. The excessive British duties on Irish goods would be removed for 5 years and Ireland was to also review the duties on British goods.

March 23rd: The Fianna Fail Government of Erie - Ireland informed the British Government that there would be no reduction in the duty on the goods from the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province due to the continuing unfair treatment of the Catholic Irish minority there by the Official Unionist Party who were still in control of the Stormont Government and still continuing their Ascendancy policies on the population there.

April 25th: Eamonn de Valera the Prime Minister of Erie - Ireland reaffirmed and signed the agreement with Neville Chamberlain the Conservative British Prime Minister and he reassured him that Ireland would not be used as a base for any attack on Britain and the Irish Ports of Bearhaven in Bantry Bay and Cobh near Cork in Co. Cork, Lough Swilly in Co. Donegal, Haul Bowline and Rathmullan were finally returned by the British Government over a period of years up to 1943 under the Treaty. Winston Churchill protested vigourously against their return but Neville Chamberlain was well aware that if they were not returned Ireland could not remain neutral and there was no Defence Agreement made between them as Eire - Ireland wanted to remain neutral. Winston Churchill who was now the First Lord of the British Admiralty, for the second time, wanted to pay British Government agents to watch the Irish ports to ensure they did not give assistance to the German U - Boats.

Eamonn de Valera the Prime Minister of Ireland stated that, "External Association with Britain was not a permanent solution to Anglo - Irish relations and was only continued to try and solve the ongoing problem of the Artificial Partition of Ireland but if it's usefulness run out it would have to go." Meanwhile Sean Russell fired up the IRA again and declared a campaign of readiness to reunite the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province, which were still under the control of the British Government and the Official Unionist Party there.

June: General Elections were held in Eire - Ireland and from the 138 seats the Fianna Fail Party under Eamonn de Valera won 77 giving them a 16 seat majority overall in the (26 Counties).

August: Seamus O Donovan an original member of the I.R.B. and later on the Anti - Treaty IRA Irregulars under Eamonn de Valera had retired from it's ranks and he was invited by Sean Russell to rejoin the Republican Movement to assist him on a part time basis, due to what the IRA believed was Ireland's opportunity to reunite the whole of the 32 Counties, if War broke out, as the British Government would be at a disadvantage and this would create conditions to bring on pressure to bear for reunification.

September: Eamonn de Valera became the 19th President of the Assembly of the League of Nations.

December 8th: Sean Russell who was the Chief of Staff of the IRA until 1939 affirmed that they still wanted to take over the Government of Ireland as a means to eventually secure the return of the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province and remove the British Government's and the Ascendancy's continuing hold in Ireland, forever.

Neville Chamberlain the British Conservative Prime Minister settled for the amount of 10,000,000 pounds, with Eamonn de Valera the Prime Minister of Eire - Ireland, as a lump sum, and the return of the bases held back in the Anglo - Irish Treaty and he also put forward a proposal that the Partition Border with the 6 Counties in the Ulster Province be erased with the Stormont Government still to exist there if they guaranteed a fair go for the Irish Catholics there and transferred the powers still held by the British Westminster Parliament to the All Ireland Parliament.

Frank Ryan the Irish Republic Congress leader who was an idealist had joined the Irish - American Lincoln Washington Brigade after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War to fight against the right wing forces of General Franco. and he was wounded and captured by some Fascist Italians who were supporting Franco in the Ebro Valley in Spain. He was then turned over to Franco's forces in Spain were he was kept in a small jail always with 18 other prisoners in it, 9 of whom were taken out and shot every day but somehow he managed to draw the lucky straw and continued to survive.

+On to 1939 - 1

Situated on the western bank of the Hunter River, midway between Muswellbrook & Denman the doorway to the Heart of Australia's "Horse Capital" in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales., Australia.

John & Sue Markham

RAINBOW FARMS 603 Roxburgh Road., Muswellbrook., 2333.

02 65 479 100 - Fax: 02 65 479 102 E - Mail: www.rainbowfarms@bigpond.com