# Why "Irish Free State"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-irish-free-state/976508>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 14, 2022, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-irish-free-state/976508 "2022-12-14T13:51:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-irish-free-state/976508/21 "2022-12-15T12:07:36Z")

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In 1931, Newfoundland was a separate dominion, not part of Canada. Because of their size (smallest of the six dominons) they relied heavily on Britain and weren’t keen on being pushed out of the imperial nest, so didn’t want the Statute to apply automatically; wanted to review it locally and decide if they wanted it to apply to them.

Then two years later Newfoundland went bankrupt in the Great Depression and had to surrender their self-governance in return for British financial aid.

They were under British governance until they joined Canada in 1949, when the Statute then applied to them as a province.

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-irish-free-state/976508/22 "2022-12-15T18:41:18Z")

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> [@hibernicus](#):
>
> This could be relevant. Jan Smuts was very involved in influencing events leading up to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, including visits to Dublin to meet de Valera and attempting to persuade Lloyd George against a violent response to Irish national aspirations. He is reputed to have said to de Valera “ask what you want, but not a republic”, meaning that the one red line for the British government would be a rejection of the king as head of state. He wanted to persuade both sides to accept a Dominion status for Ireland.

This is mentioned generally in the wikipedia article on Smuts, but not the specific issue of the name:

> While in Britain for an [Imperial Conference in June 1921](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Conference_in_June_1921), Smuts went to Ireland and met [Éamon de Valera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89amon_de_Valera) to help broker an armistice and peace deal between the warring British and Irish nationalists. Smuts attempted to sell the concept of Ireland receiving [Dominion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion) status similar to that of Australia and South Africa.[[48]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Smuts#cite_note-48)

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-irish-free-state/976508/23 "2022-12-15T21:33:24Z")

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I asked about the dude here awhile back, as it happens: [South African leader Jan Smuts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-african-leader-jan-smuts/517633)

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**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-irish-free-state/976508/24 "2022-12-16T18:25:00Z")

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I have always thought that, with careful handling, Collins might have become the Irish Smuts, in time.

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