Council of Ireland
The Council of Ireland may refer to one of two councils, one proposed and one implemented for a brief period.
1920 - Government of Ireland Act
The Council of Ireland contemplated by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, was to have been an all-Ireland body co-ordinating between the parliamentary governments contemplated for Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland by that Act. Its purpose was to allow both parliaments to transfer powers in stages to a Parliament of Ireland that would result in Irish unity by consent by or within 50 years. The 50-year period was designed to maintain Northern Ireland's status for a considerable time, and also set a target for it to work towards unity. The Act became law in December 1920.
In Southern Ireland (as defined by the Act) the Sinn Féin movement had however started a War of Independence and never recognized the Act as law. The war prevented many provisions of the Act, including the Council, from ever actually being implemented, and the Anglo-Irish Treaty, while not requiring formal repeal of the Act, in practice deviated from the Act, so that this Council never became operational. When the Boundary Commission's decision was enacted into law in Dublin, Belfast and London in 1925, the Council was not mentioned.
Many of the functions contemplated for it were actually handled by the short-lived Council created by the Sunningdale Agreement, implemented over a half-century later.
1973 - Sunningdale Agreement
The Council of Ireland was established during 1973 to coordinate the governments of the UK, Northern Ireland, and Ireland for common concerns. The Sunningdale Agreement specified the details of the council, as had been worked out through negotiations between the parties of Northern Ireland and the British and Irish governments. The Council consisted of six Unionist ministers, four Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) ministers and one minister from the Alliance Party. The Council collapsed the next year with the withdrawal of the unionists.
See also: North/South Ministerial Council
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