The Irish Free State was established after the Irish War of Independence. Éamon de Valera, Cathal Brugha, and Michael Collins were the main leaders of Irish Independence.
f modern Ireland has a founding father than it is Henry Grattan. He is effectively our Thomas Jefferson, he advocated legislative independence and catholic emancipation long before O’Connell, and was an advocate of industry and enterprise; yet he never lined his own pockets unlike many of the cretins who are running the country now.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_founders