Page "Treaty Ports (Ireland)" Paragraph 7

By 1938 the Governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom had been involved in a long-running Anglo-Irish Trade War that was not in the interest of either country's economy.

Negotiations to settle the matters in dispute took place in 1938.

One of the items the Irish side pushed for was the return of the Treaty Ports.

Ultimately, this was agreed to and the United Kingdom enacted the Eire ( Confirmation of Agreements ) Act 1938, which put in effect, among other things, the British government's agreement to return the Treaty Ports.

From an Irish point of view, the handover of the ports in the lead up to World War II was felt vital to consolidate Ireland's neutrality during " The Emergency ".