The Root of All Evil: The Irish Boundary Commission

Cormac Moore

One hundred years on from the shelving of the Boundary Commission report, historian Cormac Moore explores the fascinating and infuriating story behind its momentous failure, which would abandon swathes of Northern nationalists close to the border and have long-lasting, catastrophic consequences for the entirety of the island of Ireland.

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.