Homework correction: The most fascinating aspect of Irish culture

The most fascinating aspect of Irish culture that I learned about by watching the Story of Ireland was the fact that the famous rebel Michael Collins was able to negotiate a settlement with Great Britain, the Anglo- Irish Treaty, after a long war. Although this treaty seemed for many Irish people like a defeat against the British Empire, they had far more won than lost. In exchange for the six mainly Protestant counties in the North, the southern part of Ireland, 26 counties, became the Irish Free State. This state now had the opportunity to separate from the Britsh and had the freedom to achieve freedom. Beside the fact that they were able to set up their own government, they also were not confronted with religious discrimination anymore. On the other hand, the treaty also caused severe struggles on the Irish side, which finally led to a ruthless and cruel Civil War between the ones who approved, and the ones who opposed the treaty. In brief, the Anglo- Irish Treaty has both a positive and a negative side: It gave Ireland - in the longer term - the independence it always wanted but also turned comrades into bitter enemies.