“I Signed My Death Warrant”

To Michael Collins the signing of the Treaty between Ireland and Britain in 1921 was a ‘stepping stone’.Eamon de Valera called it ‘treason’.The controversy surrounding the Treaty and how it led to the Civil War of 1922-1923, is examined here. T. Ryle Dwyer not only takes an in-depth look at the characters and motivations of the two main Irish protaginaists but also gives many insights into the views and ideas of the other people involved on both sides if the Irish sea. Eamon de Valera sent Michael Collins to London in October 1921 to negotiate a treaty with the British Empire. The difficult negotiations took eight weeks before the Treaty was signed by Collins, Arthur Griffith and the other delegates in December 1921.To Collins, the Treaty was simply the start of a process that, in his eyes, would lead to full independence for what was now the Irish Free State, but there were many in the south who believed that Collins had betrayed the republican movement.Just hours after signing the Treaty Collins’ wrote ‘Will anyone be satisfied at the bargain? Will anyone? I tell you this early morning I signed my death warrant?’ Eighty-five years on from the historic signing of the Treaty, I Signed My Death Warrant is a compelling study of the controversy surrounding the infamous negotiations and the motivations of the two main Irish protagonists, de Valera and Collins.