Forgive and Forget
The formation of the Irish Free State ‘Recalling the King’s noble plea at Belfast for peace, a plea which has at last borne fruit’. This newsreel shows the royal progress from the Belfast docks, up High Street towards City Hall while Black and Tans occupy an armoured vehicle on Thomas Street.
King George V used the opening of the Northern Ireland Parliament in June 1921 as an opportunity to appeal for peace – ‘to stretch out the hand of forbearance and conciliation, to forgive and forget’. The IRA agreed to a truce a fortnight later on July 11th 1921. This led to talks between the President of the Irish Republic, Éamon de Valera, and David Lloyd George later that year. This resulted in formal negotiations between Dail Éireann representatives and the British government.
