County Cork tartans and Arsenal tartan

[thanmuwa]

When the treaty was being negotiated, both governments (and Carson) referred to what is now NI as "the Ulster Province" in all of their minutes and notes (this was because Donegal is also in the north of Ireland, but was to remain part of the newly formed nation of Ireland. That, as you noted, was why I used the quotation marks in my original posting.

They weren't referring to what is now NI, because quite simply, the Boundary Commission had yet to decide the border. Broadly speaking, on the table at the time were the options of a 9-county Northern Ireland (which could have been accurately referred to as Ulster), the six county option (the one taken) and a 4-county Northern Ireland as well as finer granularities. Carson had personally supported both the 4 and 9 county option previously. (by the way, minutes and notes of meetings from before the borders were settled are hardly an accurate description of the correct name of the country now!)

I have never suggested that Ireland is part of the Commonwealth. Further, there was no "automatic" action that took Ireland out of the Commonwealth. Actually, it was at the Commonwealth conference in Canada that Ireland's representative made the unilateral, and totally personal, decision--without the knowledge or consultation of the government in Ireland--to announce that Ireland was leaving the Commonwealth. He then walked out of the conference and headed into the bar.

You said previously

The remaining 26 counties formed the new country of Ireland, which although independent of British rule, became part of the Commonwealth.

That could easily be misinterpreted as continuing today.
I know it was a slip of the tongue (keyboard?) and you knew what you meant, as did I, but not everyone one here would have known that, and it would be misleading for people to think the Irish still have to tug the forelock at old Lizzie and Phil the Greek, now wouldn't it?

As for your cute little story, it was lovely, honestly, but the facts are as follows. The Statute of Westminster is clear - Members of the Commonwealth were required to have the British Crown as head of state. Ireland declared itself a free Democratic Republic ergo had to leave the Commonwealth. Automatically. It officially left on April 17th 1949. The London Declaration which first allowed republics in the Commonwealth was made on the 28th of April 1949, specifically because India refused to continue with the British Crown as head of state, and India was far to important to the Commonwealth to lose. Them's the facts Jack.

Is your middle name "Cruise" by the way?