The Treaty

Colin Murphy

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781350299870
• eBook ISBN: 9781350299894
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

In October 1921, a delegation of the Dáil left by boat and train for London, where they were to negotiate with the British government for peace, unity and a republic. They came back with just one of those; and that peace didn't last long, as war with Britain was replaced by war with their own. Were the Irish outclassed or outgunned? Were they lied to? Did they lie to their own colleagues back in Dublin? Or did they achieve the best that could be achieved, an incremental step on the way to fuller sovereignty? The Treaty tells the story of what happened inside those negotiations, as Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and colleagues faced off against one of the most formidable negotiating teams ever assembled, headed by David Lloyd George and with Winston Churchill often at his side. This edition is published to coincide with Fishamble's production in November 2021.

Act Two

One

Downing Street

Lloyd George, Churchill, Collins and Griffith approach the table. Griffith distributes a document. The diagram appears.

McKenna It is time for Mr Griffith to present President de Valera’s proposal for ‘external association’.

Griffith does so in dumb show, Jones speaking over him.

Jones The Irish have a natural appreciation of the rich ambiguity of the English language . . . But I confess, even the Celt in me flounders amidst the finessing they bring to the question of ‘association’.

Griffith has finished. Silence around the table. The British look at each other and at the document.

Lloyd George Mr Griffith. Will you. Take. An oath. To the Crown?

Griffith We will . . . accept the Crown as the . . . bond of association.

Lloyd George The ‘bond’ of association?

Griffith We will . . . adhere to the Commonwealth.

Churchill What do you mean by ‘adhering’?

Lloyd George You mean membership? Allegiance?

Collins Not quite.

Griffith We should be associated with the Commonwealth – outside of that, we would be a free people.

Lloyd George I wish you to be a free people –

Griffith Excellent. We are / agreed then . . .

Lloyd George and to freely choose to enter the Empire.

Collins It’s not a free choice if the alternative is war.

Churchill The alternative to a truce is always war.

Lloyd George So you do not accept the link with the Crown?

Griffith We would accept it as head of the association.

Churchill As mere ‘allies’?

Griffith More than that –

Collins Permanent allies, not temporary.

Lloyd George But not as members of the Empire?

Collins No.

Griffith But we would have representation at the Imperial Conference and would accept its decision in matters of common concern.

Churchill So you would not be a member of the Empire but would attend the Empire’s conference and accept its decisions?

Griffith In matters of common concern.

Lloyd George What are matters of ‘common concern’?

Griffith Large matters.

Churchill War?

Collins And peace.

Griffith Trade.

Lloyd George So you want to leave the trade association that is the Commonwealth, but accept its rules on trade.

Griffith Well, that would be the / essence of our proposal.

Churchill It sounds to me rather like you want to have your cake and eat it.

Griffith I confess, I’ve never quite understood that phrase: surely, by definition, if you are eating cake, you are having it?

Jones I believe the phrase used be ‘eat your cake and have it’ – in the sense of ‘have’ meaning to possess, to keep.

Collins Ní thig a bheith ag feadaíl agus ag ithe mine.

Lloyd George What?

Griffith In Irish. ‘You can’t whistle and eat porridge’.

Jones Ah! That’s like the Welsh proverb –

Churchill I think we are losing sight of the problem –

Collins Here’s the problem: you people came to our country, and you stole all our fucking cake.

Lloyd George We digress. (Addressing the document.) Can you change ‘free partnership with the British Commonwealth’ to ‘free partnership within the British Commonwealth’?

Griffith But that would mean Ireland being prepared to enter the Commonwealth – we are prepared to associate with it, not enter it.

Lloyd George Can you change ‘a recognition of the Crown’ to ‘recognition of the Crown’?

Griffith But that would imply allegiance – we are offering simply a form of recognition.

Churchill (impatient) You mean to say you will go to war over an indefinite article?

Collins (irritated) Will you?

Tea is brought in.

Lloyd George Ah, a timely interlude, I think.

Griffith No, thank you.

Lloyd George Mr Collins.

Collins No. Thank you.

Lloyd George But / you don’t mean to say that you’re still bound by . . .

Griffith We can’t.

Lloyd George I realise that the delegation has instructions / from Dublin . . .

Griffith We have undertaken to accept no hospitality while in Britain.

Churchill It’s a cup of tea!

Lloyd George Perhaps we should have offered you cake.

Griffith We are not here as your guests. We are here / as plenipotentia...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Fishamble: The New Play Company presents
• Cast
• About Fishamble
• A note from the playwright
• Biographies
• Contents
• The Treaty
• Characters
• Prologue
• Act One
• Act Two
• Act Three
• Epilogue
• A note on travesties and anachronisms
• Bibliography
• eCopyright