The provisional government of Ireland, established under the terms of the Treaty, overlapped with the later period of ministries of Dáil Éireann.

[2] De Valera was then proposed by Seán Mac Eoin and seconded by Richard Mulcahy to the position of President of the Irish Republic and approved unanimously.

De Valera then proposed the members of the 3rd ministry of the Irish Republic (26 August 1921 – 9 January 1922), which were approved by the Dáil.

[5] On 10 January, Arthur Griffith was proposed as President of Dáil Éireann by Michael Collins and seconded by Eoin O'Duffy.

Cosgrave had also been named as Chairman of the Provisional Government on the death of Collins in August, and from 9 September the personnel of the two cabinets were identical.

Headed by Michael Collins as Chairman, its membership consisted solely of members of the pro-Treaty wing of Sinn Féin.

After the Civil War began on 29 June four members of the cabinet were seconded for military service and substitutes were appointed to temporarily take their places as acting ministers.

The Third Dáil met on 9 September and appointed the 5th ministry, with its membership identical to that of the newly constituted provisional government.

This cabinet, with its dual identities, continued as the sole government, and was superseded on 6 December 1922 by the formation of the 1st Executive Council of the Irish Free State.