Today schools across Ireland are holding special ceremonies and raising Irish flags to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Proclamation Day, when a group of Irish rebels took control of the General Post Office in Dublin and issued a proclamation declaring Ireland a free republic and renouncing British rule. This is usually known as the Easter Rising, and although it was unsuccessful (ending with most of the leaders hanged) it was the precursor to the Irish war for independence which began in 1919 and ended with the Anglo-Irish treaty in December, 1921. Ireland officially became a free and independent state in 1922, marking the first time in roughly 800 years that the Irish people were able to govern themselves. The treaty did stipulate, however, that six counties in the northwest corner of the island would remain part of the United Kingdom, which continues today.