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Old St. Mary's is the Church of Ireland parish church in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland.

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Cope
Sir Alfred William Cope KBC, (1877 - 1954 ), frequently known to as 'Andy Cope', was a senior British civil servant at the beginning of the 20th century. He played a crucial, though low profile role in negotiating a cease-fire to end the Irish War of Independence (1919 - 1921) and was subsequently involved in the establishment of the Irish Free State.

Early life
Cope was raised in Lambeth (Waterloo), London, the eldest of eleven children born to Alfred and Margaret. By the age of fourteen he was employed as an office clerk and ten years later, in 1901, he was working for the Inland Revenue.

Inspector of Customs and Excise
Cope began his career as a detective in HM Customs and Excise and later served as 2nd Secretary in the Ministry of Pensions. By this time he was also a director of John Barker's Kensington department store. "White slave" traffic Supervisor, Inland Revenue Department, Somerset House. 1907

Stamp/postal fraud case inspector of Customs and Excise 1910

Ireland
Between 1920 and 1922 he was Assistant Under Secretary for Ireland, during which time he was based in Dublin Castle.

Truce negotiations
"Cope established himself as a go-between, passing information between the IRA and No. 10. Some of these documents were captured in Army raids, placing Cope's life in danger from hardliners on his own side. Captain Jeune, a British intelligence officer, noted ruefully that "it was decided that no drastic action could be taken against him, as it turned out that he was a protégé of Lloyd-George.""

http://www.rte.ie/tv/hiddenhistory/getcollins.html
 * Lord Muskerry in connection with the conduct of an Assistant Under-Secretary for Ireland.
 * Cope, adopting the nom de guerre ‘Mr Clements’, frequently visited Fitzgerald’s home. Confirmation of his role as a go-between is to be found in the diary of Sir Mark Sturgis, another senior Dublin Castle official. For example, on 2 July 1921—just a few days before the Truce was agreed—Sturgis wrote:

‘Went out with Andy [Cope, from the Castle] soon after 11. . . I was then taken and introduced to Martin Fitzgerald who says the thing [that is, arranging the truce] is going splendidly. It is, said he, a big confinement, all will be well but don’t try to hurry it—he told us that there was an important meeting yesterday and will be another probably tomorrow, possibly at his place. . . He was most interesting and affable. We suggested that the release of Lord Bandon [held captive by the IRA] would look well and be a good move vis-à-vis Griffith [just released from prison at Cope’s instigation]. He scouted the idea that [Bandon] might be dead—and said he’d take it up at once but it might take a day or two.’

Lord Bandon was, in fact, released on 12 July 1921. Fitzgerald’s relationship with Cope took on a further aspect when, during the Treaty negotiations, the latter sought to influence the shapers of public opinion in Ireland to support the emerging settlement, in particular the press and the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Through Fitzgerald, Cope succeeded in exercising a measure of control over the contents of the Freeman’s Journal at that time. The Freeman’s subsequent campaign in favour of the Treaty was generally regarded, even by many on the pro-Treaty side, as unduly partisan.

"The terms of the truce were finally settled at the British Military Headquarters at three o'clock on the afternoon of Saturday, July 9th. The negotiating parties were General Macready, Colonel Brind, and Mr. Cope on the British side.Street, Cecil J. C Ireland in 1921 ([1922)]. Commandants Robert Barton TD and Eamonn Duggan TD represented the Irish Republican Army. While it has been claimed that he received the knighthood in recognition of his achievements during the Anglo-Irish negotiations, the honour was conferred in June 1920, considerably before the truce.
 * "Cope arranged for the archbishop to be escorted into Mountjoy Prison to meet with Arthur Griffith and Clune was also"

Irish Free State

 * "on the 1 February Cope, sent by Collins, came to his (Joseph Brennan's) room and asked him if he would undertake the task of setting up an Irish exchequer, by which no doubt was meant the organisation of a financial system for the new state. The answer, of course, was yes." p104 No man's man : a biographical memoir of Joseph Brennan, civil servant & first governor of the Central Bank
 * "Craig indeed went so far as to offer Andy Cope the headship of the Northern Ireland civil service."

Commercial carreer
Between 1922 and 1924 he was Secretary of the National Liberal Association. From 1924 until 1936 Cope was Managing Director of the Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Ltd. He also served for a brief period in 1939 under John Anderson, the then  Lord Privy Seal.

Later years

 * When approached in the 1950s by the Irish Bureau of Military History, Cope declined to record his recollections of the Anglo-Irish conflict describing the period as "the most discreditable in your country’s history – it is preferable to forget it – to let sleeping dogs lie".
 * Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Ltd. Managing Director 1933: Cope, Afred, Sir, K.C.B., 30, Arterberry Road, Wimbledon, S.W.20
 * GLO-CARREG Memories of the Anthracite Coalfield

Visual representations of Cope

 * Get Collins "Alfred 'Andy' Cope, had a ... mission - to make contact with the IRA and work out a political deal". Mint Productions & RTE Television. Extensively dramatised documentary.

youtube link
 * Sir Alfred Cope (1925) Oil on canvas portrait by Sir John Lavery. Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin.
 * 1922 CIVIL WAR PROPAGANDA - FREE STATE FREAKS from 'Whyte's, Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers' catalogue.