The fate of Ireland hung in the balance as Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith led the charge to ratify the Anglo-Irish Treaty, a hard-won compromise with the British government. On a tense winter's day, Dáil Éireann gathered to put the treaty to a vote, the outcome far from certain. Amid heated debate and protests from anti-treaty factions, the narrow margin of 64 to 57 finally sealed the deal, paving the way for the Irish Free State – a crucial step towards independence, but at what cost to unity?