Between 1920 and 1922 Ireland was partitioned and two new polities emerged: the overwhelmingly Catholic and nationalist Irish Free State, and Northern Ireland, which was largely Protestant and unionist.

These polities were not homogeneous, however, and the existence of a small unionist minority in the Free State and a more significant nationalist minority in Northern Ireland necessitated the establishment of a Boundary Commission in order to redraw the border.

This presentation examines the Irish Free State’s efforts to convene the Boundary Commission in the aftermath of the Irish Civil War, Northern Nationalists’ role in the functioning of the Commission, and the sequence of events that ultimately caused the Commission to collapse without rendering its decision. 

Dr James Cousins is the author of ‘Without a Dog’s Chance: The Nationalists of Northern Ireland and the Irish Boundary Commission, 1920-25' (Irish Academic Press: Dublin, 2020). He holds a PhD in History from Simon Fraser University, Canada, and Master’s degrees in Political Science and Indigenous Public Policy. James is originally from the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, and he works as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Ontario Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, specialising in matters related to Indigenous governance and self-determination.