A one-day conference will take place in Lifford in Co Donegal tomorrow exploring the impact of the border on the centenary of the Boundary Commission.
It is part of Donegal County Council's 2025 commemorative programme, which is supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
Curator of the Donegal County Museum Judith McCarthy said the conference is being held close to the centenary of the leaked report from the Boundary Commission which led to the ratification of the existing border agreed in the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
"This is an opportunity to explore the history of this period and its impact on communities living in Donegal.
"No other county was affected as much as Donegal by the creation of the Border which resulted in 93% of its boundary being with Northern Ireland," she said.
President of the Donegal Historical Society Joe Gatins said the event will explore the events of 1922 to 1925, which created the border that exists today, and its impact on communities.
Mr Gatins said: "Our shared history has a lasting impact on us, and it is only through an appreciation of this common history that we can fully understand who we are and move forward to the future."
The Irish Boundary Commission met in 1924–25 to decide on the precise delineation of the border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland.
The Commission was the product of a peace treaty that ended the Irish War of Independence in 1921 and it held meetings in towns and villages around the Border to hear all views.
The first draft of the Commission's report was finalised by 5 November 1925. Notes of meetings and a border map were leaked to the Morning Post newspaper.
A newspaper article published in the Morning Post on 7 November 1925, 100 years ago today, contained a detailed breakdown of the commission's work.
The article said the commission planned to recommend that the Irish Free State gain 730sq/km and concede 202sq/km, mainly in east Co Donegal.
It proposed transferring St Johnston, Killea, Carrigans, Bridgend and Muff to Northern Ireland.
Ms McCarthy said to avoid the possibility of disputes, the three governments agreed to suppress the report and the existing border was ratified on 3 December 1925.
Consequently, the Boundary Commission report remained unpublished until 1969.
Ms McCarthy said the planned commemorative programme "is informed by a full acknowledgement of the complexity of historical events and their legacy and of the multiple identities and traditions which are part of Donegal's past".
The Boundary Commission was the product of a peace treaty that ended the Irish War of Independence in 1921.
Discussions will take place tomorrow on the impact of the border on communities, the Irish Boundary Commission, the North Eastern Boundary Bureau and the impact of the border on Lough Foyle and the railways of the north west.
Speakers will include Dr Kieran Rankin, Dr Cormac Moore, Patrick Duffy, Dr Niamh Brennan, Dr Liam Campbell, Dr Lynsey Black and Jim McBride.
Separately, as part of the centenary of the 1925 Irish Boundary Commission, a cross-community peace initiative will hold a series of exhibitions in the Cavan and Donegal County Museums, the Museum of Orange Heritage in Belfast and on the Monaghan Peace Campus.
A voice of their own: The Protestant Associations of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan 1920 - 2016 has opened at the Donegal County Museum.
