Robert Barton—forgotten man of the Irish revolution?

History Ireland

Of the five plenipotentiaries who signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921 most attention has been focused on the motivations and actions of Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith—and on ‘the plenipotentiary who wasn’t’, Eamon de Valera. But what about the other three—Eamon Duggan, George Gavan Duffy and Robert Barton, particularly the latter, the only one who later took an anti-Treaty position. To find out more about this republican Protestant landlord from Wicklow join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with John Dorney, Joan Kavanagh, Chris Lawlor, and Catherine Wright.

The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com

This Hedge School is supported by Wicklow County Council’s Archives Service and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative.

Image: Robert Barton with Arthur Griffith (right) and George Gavan Duffy (left) in transit from London following the signing of the Treaty on 6 December 1921. (NLI)