# Anglo-Irish Treaty Dáil vote

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in London on 6 December 1921 and Dáil Éireann voted to approve the treaty on 7 January 1922, following a debate through late December 1921 and into January 1922. The vote was 64 in favour, 57 against, with the Ceann Comhairle and 3 others not voting. The Sinn Féin party split into opposing sides in the aftermath of the Treaty vote, which led to the Irish Civil War from June 1922 to May 1923.

## Background

Two elections took place in Ireland in 1921, as a result of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 to establish the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. The election was used by the Irish Republic as the basis of membership of the Second Dáil. The general election to the Northern Ireland House of Commons occurred on 24 May. Of 52 seats, forty were won by unionists, six by moderate Irish nationalists and six by Sinn Féin. No actual polling took place in the Southern Ireland constituencies, as all 128 candidates were returned unopposed. Given the backdrop of the increasingly violent War of Independence, any candidates opposed to Sinn Féin and their supporters could expect to be harassed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Supporters of the Labour Party stood aside to allow the constitutional situation to run its course. Of these 128, 124 were won by Sinn Féin, and four by independent unionists representing Dublin University.
Only the Sinn Féin candidates recognised the Second Dáil and five of these had been elected in two constituencies, one in each part of Ireland, so the total number of members who assembled in the Second Dáil was 125.
During the Second Dáil, the government of the Irish Republic and the British government of David Lloyd George agreed to hold peace negotiations. On 14 September 1921 the Dáil ratified the appointment of Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins, Robert Barton, Eamonn Duggan and George Gavan Duffy as envoys plenipotentiary for the peace conference in England. These envoys eventually signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December. After almost a month of acrimonious debate the treaty was formally ratified by Dáil Éireann on 7 January 1922.

## Vote

7 January 1922 Anglo-Irish Treaty Dáil vote Absolute majority: 63/124 :
| Vote | Votes |
| Y Yes | 64 / 124 |
| No | 57 / 124 |
| Abstentions | 3 / 124 |
The Ceann Comhairle Eoin MacNeill absented himself from the vote in accordance with standing orders. It was ruled that the four other TDs, Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith, Éamon de Valera and Seán Milroy, who had been elected for two constituencies (for both the House of Commons of Southern Ireland and the House of Commons of Northern Ireland) would only cast one vote each. Of the 124 Teachtaí Dála (TDs) who were entitled to vote as a result of these rulings, 121 cast their vote in the Dáil, and three abstained. The result of the vote was: 64 in favour of the Treaty and 57 against. Three TDs eligible to vote did not do so:
* Frank Drohan resigned his seat on 5 January 1922, because he was personally anti-Treaty while his local Sinn Féin branch was pro-Treaty.
* Laurence Ginnell (anti-Treaty) was absent in Argentina
* Thomas Kelly (pro-Treaty) was ill
| Name | Constituency | Vote | Notes |
| Frank Drohan | Waterford–Tipperary East | Did not vote (resigned) | |
| Laurence Ginnell | Longford–Westmeath | Did not vote (absent) | Died 17 April 1923 |
| Thomas Kelly | Dublin South | Did not vote (ill) | Fianna Fáil TD 1933–42 |
| Robert Barton | Kildare–Wicklow | For | |
| Piaras Béaslaí | Kerry–Limerick West | For | |
| Ernest Blythe | Monaghan | For | |
| Patrick Brennan | Clare | For | Resigned Dáil seat on 11 December 1922 |
| Francis Bulfin | Leix–Offaly | For | |
| Séamus Burke | Tipperary Mid, North and South | For | |
| Christopher Byrne | Kildare–Wicklow | For | Fianna Fáil TD 1943–44 |
| Thomas Carter | Leitrim–Roscommon North | For | |
| Michael Collins | Armagh | For | Killed on 22 August 1922 |
| Michael Collins | Cork Mid, North, South, South–East and West | For | Killed on 22 August 1922 |
| Richard Corish | Wexford | For | |
| Philip Cosgrave | Dublin North-East | For | |
| W. T. Cosgrave | Carlow–Kilkenny | For | |
| James Crowley | Kerry–Limerick West | For | |
| Liam de Róiste | Cork Borough | For | |
| James Dolan | Leitrim–Roscommon North | For | |
| Michael Derham | Dublin County | For | |
| Eamonn Duggan | Louth–Meath | For | |
| Séamus Dwyer | Dublin County | For | |
| Desmond FitzGerald | Dublin County | For | |
| Paul Galligan | Cavan | For | |
| George Gavan Duffy | Dublin County | For | |
| Arthur Griffith | Cavan | For | Died on 12 August 1922 |
| Arthur Griffith | Fermanagh and Tyrone | For | Died on 12 August 1922 |
| Seán Hales | Cork Mid, North, South, South–East and West | For | Killed on 6 December 1922 |
| Michael Hayes | National University | For | |
| Richard Hayes | Limerick City–Limerick East | For | |
| William Hayes | Limerick City–Limerick East | For | |
| Seán Hayes | Cork Mid, North, South, South–East and West | For | |
| Patrick Hogan | Galway | For | |
| Peter Hughes | Louth–Meath | For | |
| Andrew Lavin | Leitrim–Roscommon North | For | |
| Frank Lawless | Dublin County | For | Died on 16 April 1922 |
| Seán Liddy | Clare | For | |
| Fionán Lynch | Kerry–Limerick West | For | |
| Joseph Lynch | Leix–Offaly | For | |
| Joseph MacBride | Mayo North and West | For | |
| Alexander McCabe | Sligo–Mayo East | For | |
| Patrick McCartan | Leix–Offaly | For | |
| Daniel McCarthy | Dublin South | For | |
| Seán Mac Eoin | Longford–Westmeath | For | |
| Seán McGarry | Dublin Mid | For | |
| Joseph McGinley | Donegal | For | |
| Patrick McGoldrick | Donegal | For | |
| Joseph McGrath | Dublin North-East | For | |
| Joseph McGuinness | Longford–Westmeath | For | Died on 31 May 1922 |
| Justin McKenna | Louth–Meath | For | |
| Seán Milroy | Cavan | For | |
| Seán Milroy | Fermanagh and Tyrone | For | |
| Richard Mulcahy | Dublin North-East | For | |
| James Murphy | Louth–Meath | For | |
| George Nicolls | Galway | For | |
| Thomas O'Donnell | Sligo–Mayo East | For | |
| Eoin O'Duffy | Monaghan | For | Resigned Dáil seat on 11 December 1922 |
| Kevin O'Higgins | Leix–Offaly | For | |
| Patrick O'Keeffe | Cork Mid, North, South, South–East and West | For | |
| Pádraic Ó Máille | Galway | For | |
| Daniel O'Rourke | Mayo South–Roscommon South | For | |
| Gearóid O'Sullivan | Carlow–Kilkenny | For | |
| Lorcan Robbins | Longford–Westmeath | For | |
| William Sears | Mayo South–Roscommon South | For | |
| Michael Staines | Dublin North-East | For | |
| Joseph Sweeney | Donegal | For | |
| J. J. Walsh | Cork Borough | For | |
| Peter Ward | Donegal | For | |
| Joseph Whelehan | Galway | For | |
| Vincent White | Waterford–Tipperary East | For | |
| Edward Aylward | Carlow–Kilkenny | Against | |
| Harry Boland | Mayo South–Roscommon South | Against | Died 2 August 1922 |
| Cathal Brugha | Waterford–Tipperary East | Against | Died 7 July 1922 |
| Patrick Cahill | Kerry–Limerick West | Against | |
| Frank Carty | Sligo–Mayo East | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| Erskine Childers | Kildare–Wicklow | Against | Executed 24 November 1922 |
| Kathleen Clarke | Dublin Mid | Against | Took her seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| Michael Colivet | Limerick City–Limerick East | Against | |
| Con Collins | Kerry–Limerick West | Against | |
| Daniel Corkery | Cork Mid, North, South, South–East and West | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| John Crowley | Mayo North and West | Against | |
| Bryan Cusack | Galway | Against | |
| Eamon Dee | Waterford–Tipperary East | Against | |
| Éamon de Valera | Clare | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| Éamon de Valera | Down | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| Thomas Derrig | Mayo North and West | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| James Devins | Sligo–Mayo East | Against | Died 20 September 1922 |
| Séamus Doyle | Wexford | Against | |
| Ada English | National University | Against | |
| Seán Etchingham | Wexford | Against | Died 23 April 1923 |
| Frank Fahy | Galway | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| Francis Ferran | Sligo–Mayo East | Against | Died 10 June 1923 |
| Séamus Fitzgerald | Cork East and North–East | Against | Took his seat in Seanad Éireann, 1934 |
| Thomas Hunter | Cork East and North–East | Against | |
| David Kent | Cork East and North–East | Against | |
| James Lennon | Carlow–Kilkenny | Against | |
| Seán MacEntee | Monaghan | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| Joseph MacDonagh | Tipperary Mid, North and South | Against | Died 25 December 1922 |
| Mary MacSwiney | Cork Borough | Against | Signed statement on 8 December 1938 |
| Seán MacSwiney | Cork Mid, North, South, South–East and West | Against | |
| Tom Maguire | Mayo South–Roscommon South | Against | Signed statement on 8 December 1938 |
| Constance Markievicz | Dublin South | Against | In the June 1927 general election, she was re-elected to the 5th Dáil as a candidate for the new Fianna Fáil party, which was pledged to return to Dáil Éireann, but died only five weeks later, before she could take up her seat. |
| Liam Mellows | Galway | Against | Died 8 December 1922 |
| P. J. Moloney | Tipperary Mid, North and South | Against | |
| Seán Moylan | Cork Mid, North, South, South–East and West | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil in 1932 |
| Seán Nolan | Cork Mid, North, South, South–East and West | Against | |
| Patrick O'Byrne | Tipperary Mid, North and South | Against | |
| Donal O'Callaghan | Cork Borough | Against | |
| Kathleen O'Callaghan | Limerick City–Limerick East | Against | |
| Art O'Connor | Kildare–Wicklow | Against | |
| Joseph O'Doherty | Donegal | Against | Took his seat in the Seanad in 1928 |
| Thomas O'Donoghue | Kerry–Limerick West | Against | |
| Samuel O'Flaherty | Donegal | Against | |
| Brian O'Higgins | Clare | Against | Signed statement on 8 December 1938 |
| John J. O'Kelly | Louth–Meath | Against | Signed statement on 8 December 1938 |
| Seán T. O'Kelly | Dublin Mid | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| Seán O'Mahony | Fermanagh and Tyrone | Against | |
| Cathal Ó Murchadha | Dublin South | Against | Signed statement on 8 December 1938 |
| Margaret Pearse | Dublin County | Against | Joined Fianna Fáil, 1926 |
| George Noble Plunkett | Leitrim–Roscommon North | Against | Signed statement on 8 December 1938 |
| Séumas Robinson | Waterford–Tipperary East | Against | Took his seat in the Seanad in 1928 |
| Edmund Roche | Kerry–Limerick West | Against | |
| P. J. Ruttledge | Mayo North and West | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| James Ryan | Wexford | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |
| Philip Shanahan | Dublin Mid | Against | |
| Austin Stack | Kerry–Limerick West | Against | |
| William Stockley | National University | Against | Signed statement on 8 December 1938 |
| Domhnall Ua Buachalla | Kildare–Wicklow | Against | Took his seat in the Dáil on 12 August 1927 |

## Aftermath

To satisfy the requirements of the British constitution, the treaty also had to be ratified by the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. Thus Irish nationalists ended their boycott of the home rule parliament to attend the southern House of Commons as MPs. This they did alongside the four Unionist MPs who had refused to recognise the Dáil. In this way the treaty was ratified a second time in Dublin, this time unanimously as the anti-Treaty TDs refused to attend.
Under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty a provisional parliament, considered by nationalists to be the Third Dáil, was elected in the 1922 general election on 16 June. Collins and de Valera agreed a pact between the pro- and anti-Treaty wings of Sinn Féin and this pact and the elections were endorsed by the Second Dáil. The new assembly was recognised both by nationalists and the British Government and so replaced both the Parliament of Southern Ireland and the Second Dáil with a single body. The anti-Treaty groups of IRA members, TDs and their supporters were still bitterly opposed to the settlement, despite the election result, and this led on to the Irish Civil War.