The Treaty as the Church saw it: Archbishop Byrne and the Dáil vote

by Thomas Morrissey On January 3, 1922 the recently-appointed Archbishop of Dublin, Edward J. Byrne, wrote a personal letter to the president of Dail Éireann, Éamon de Valera. He was concerned lest the bitter differences over the Treaty might lead to division and disunity during the forthcoming critical debate on the Treaty. He wished to…