Mullingar lecture on the handover of Dublin Castle in January 1922

On January 16, 1922 the British were beginning their final departure from what would become the Irish Free State.

The leader of the newly established Irish government, Michael Collins arrived at Dublin Castle to take over what had been the symbolic headquarters of British powering Ireland for almost 800 years.

This defining moment in Irish history will be the subject of a lecture hosted by Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society on Wednesday next, September 28 in the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar.

The ‘handover’ of Dublin Castle was a milestone on the path to Irish independence — often overshadowed by the Treaty split and the outbreak of the Civil War. Why did it matter? What did it mean? What actually happened at Dublin Castle on 16 January 1922?

Dr John Gibney from the Royal Irish Academy will explore this relatively unfamiliar but hugely important story from Ireland’s revolutionary era at this lecture organised by Westmeath Archaeological and Historical Society. All are welcome. This is a Decade of Centenaries lecture supported by Westmeath County Council and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Dr Gibney is assistant editor with the Royal Irish Academy’s Documents on Irish Foreign Policy series and is co-author (with Kate O’Malley) of Handover: Dublin Castle and the British withdrawal from Ireland.