Desmond FitzGerald had been active in Sinn Féin during the Irish War of Independence , and had been one of the founders of Cumann na nGaedheal .
FitzGerald senior had been active in Sinn Féin during the Irish War of Independence , and had been one of the founders of Cumann na nGaedheal , the party formed to support the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 , which created the Irish Free State .