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From left to right: Dick Spring, Garret Fitzgerald and Margaret Thatcher at the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement RollingNews.ie

'It wasn't long after the hunger strikes... mayhem on the streets and we realised that something had to be done.'

Former Tánaiste Dick Spring talks about the tensions and troubles of 1985.

THE PUBLISHING OF the 1985 State Papers has revealed a lot about Ireland’s past.

The year was a tense time for Anglo-Irish relations, with government ministers and leaders of the day struggling to tease out what would eventually become the Anglo-Irish Agreement to try to address the troubles in Northern Ireland.

At the centre of negotiations were British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, who had a series of meetings throughout the negotiations as both sides sought an end to the conflict.

Playing a big part in proceedings was former Tánaiste and leader of the Labour Party at the time, Dick Spring, who gave a wide ranging interview about the period this morning.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Keelin Shanley, Spring outlined the tension between both governments leading up to the agreement and the efforts of notable civil servants to keep things on track. Spring said the negotiations were:

At times very tense, at times very difficult. But I think both sides were motivated by the fact of the mayhem in the background.
It wasn’t long after the hunger strikes, the Brighton bombings, mayhem on the streets both in Ireland and the UK and we realised that something had to be done.

Spring also said that at the time there was an assumption within Irish circles that Thatcher was briefing the unionists in Northern Ireland – who weren’t taking part in negotiations – on what was taking place. But this was later shown not to be the case.

When the agreement was eventually signed on 15 November 1985, the UUP and the DUP (the leading unionist parties in Northern Ireland) were vehemently opposed to it and led the campaign against it.

90404039 File photo of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985 Eamonn Farrell / Rollingews.ie Eamonn Farrell / Rollingews.ie / Rollingews.ie

Spring said that people knew that the more hardline DUP – led by Ian Paisley – would reject the agreement, but he felt that the more moderate UUP might accept it.

We did feel that the UUP who would have been more moderate and reasonable would have been talking to Thatcher and her people.
But we were taken by surprise somewhat to discover that they were absolutely left out in the cold and they weren’t briefed.
Now, if they had been briefed of course the question is would they have supported the agreement or would they have taken the line they did anyway?

Thatcher didn’t prioritise Northern Ireland

Spring also said that if it wasn’t for the patience and perseverance of then Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald the agreement never would have been reached.

Thatcher really didn’t prioritise Northern Ireland – I’ve often felt it was probably number eight or number nine on her list of her priorities.
Whereas for us Northern Ireland and unemployment at the time were the two key issues for the government to deal with. Thatcher really saw Northern Ireland as a security issue.

However, Spring said that FitzGerald kept at Thatcher at every political meeting. It was this, he said, as well as working of civil servants on both the British and Irish sides that led to the agreement.

90400071 File photo: Margaret Thatcher Rollingnews.ie Rollingnews.ie

Provisions of the agreement included a cross-governmental consultation body that would discuss affairs in Northern ireland as well as agreements that civilian police units would accompany the British army troops on their patrols around the affected areas.

Spring called it a “slow-burner” and said that it paved the way for the eventual laying down of arms and the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Did we even realise that the Anglo-Irish Agreement would lead ultimately to the laying down of arms, to a new power sharing agreement in Northern Ireland – probably not at that stage.

Read: When Maggie dropped some epic shade on Garret FitzGerald…

Read: An Archbishop, a Taoiseach and an angry face-off over IRA violence and ‘genocide’

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:52 PM

    Straight outta Carlow.

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    Mute G
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:04 PM

    Gwan the boyz yup yup

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:00 PM

    Embarrassing…

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    Mute Daragh Ó Murchú
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    Jun 9th 2019, 12:19 AM

    @TamuMassif2019: cad go díreach a bhfuil náireach fúthu ?

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 9th 2019, 12:57 PM

    @Daragh Ó Murchú: I never put much effort into Irish at school…

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 9th 2019, 1:00 PM

    @Daragh Ó Murchú: Them denying their own culture and trying to act if they belong to another culture and to another race, why making eejits of themselves.

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    Mute Mike Spillane
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    Jun 9th 2019, 2:49 PM

    @TamuMassif2019: you haven’t got a clue. I’d say Irish wasn’t the only part of your education you neglected.

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    Mute David Hickey
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    Jun 9th 2019, 5:12 PM

    @TamuMassif2019: Would you say the same of a rock band? Rock music is from the south of the US originally. Should we stop that, and only play trad so?

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    Mute Disco Pants
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:12 PM

    Lowest common denominator trash for the most brainless in society.

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    Mute .
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:18 PM

    @Disco Pants: ooooooh look at me I use big words to seem smarter than anyone else

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    Mute Patsy Mongan
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:18 PM

    @Disco Pants: moron

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    Mute Conor Daly
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:20 PM

    @Disco Pants: idiot

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    Mute Disco Pants
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:22 PM

    @Conor Daly: who bees you dog? Gnome sayin

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    Mute Leitrim303
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:22 PM

    @Disco Pants: i bet you would be great crack on a night out

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    Mute j4VEpUO8
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:25 PM

    @Disco Pants: put down what you don’t understand is smart thinking

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    Mute j4VEpUO8
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:26 PM

    @T Jay O’Mea: putting

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    Mute Blockboy Bertie
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:40 PM

    @Disco Pants: bellend

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    Mute Marty
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:03 PM

    @Disco Pants: Hey mate you havnt got a clue what’s up

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    Mute John Paul
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:07 PM

    @Disco Pants: brainless? Most of these lads are above average intelligence. They have to be to write songs and have the intelligence and confidence to come up with lyrics on the spot

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    Mute Barry Dempsey
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    Jun 9th 2019, 7:55 AM

    @Disco Pants: thanks for your insight. Lowest common denominator trolling

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    Mute Cheeky Bums
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:50 PM

    Anyone else remember Scary Éire?

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    Mute G
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:09 PM

    @Cheeky Bums: Yeah, last I heard he got whacked in Compton, drive by shooting. Rip Scary

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    Mute Linda Kirby
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:51 PM

    @Cheeky Bums: They played the sugar club on Paddy’s weekend, wasn’t there but it was a great gig so I’ve been told.

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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Jun 10th 2019, 10:35 AM

    @Cheeky Bums: Yeah, Saw them live back in the day.. great band.

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    Mute Tommy D
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:21 PM

    Mago x mathman have some really good stuff that deserves more air play

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    Mute popeye Doyle
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:40 PM

    Load of me b. O. X s

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:14 PM

    I said a hip hop …… stall it down the shop ….

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    Mute Sirius
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    Jun 9th 2019, 7:39 AM

    “entrenched racism”? How about a fact check on that claim.

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    Mute Linda Kirby
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:54 PM

    It’s quite astonishing that an article about Irish rap has no mention of Scary Eire

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    Mute TheFreeSpeechParty
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:46 PM

    Just need to avoid the trap that happens with any Dublin scene where a group of artists get good, then disappear up their own posteriors

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    Mute Iarla Ó
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:28 PM

    Kneecap’s album gets played a lot in our car. Check them out on YouTube/Spotify if you haven’t already.

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    Mute J
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:39 PM

    The comments here are hilarious

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    Mute thephantomshit
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:43 PM

    Is seems like most Irish hip hop that makes social media graduated out of gonzaga college

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:53 PM

    Straight outta Carlow

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    Mute Sega Yolo
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:05 PM

    @Keith Dunne: or Straight outta Carlaa

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    Mute De20
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:22 PM

    I really don’t the Kneecap boys would call themselves northern Irish and what’s with the ‘his real name is an Irish name’ comment? What’s that supposed to mean? Belfast is cheap compared to Dublin but you would be hard pushed to get a room in a shared house for less than £250 a month. For a flat, you’ll be talking £500 a month unless it’s in the absolute worst areas

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    Mute De Zach Same
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    Jun 9th 2019, 4:30 AM

    @De20: We are taking Irish hip hop and somehow you manage to make it about property prices….shame on you.

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    Mute Al coholic
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    Jun 9th 2019, 1:43 AM

    Fair play lads all the best no mention of Rob Kelly from Wexford who really blazed a trail for the hip hop community

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    Mute Bass demon
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    Jun 9th 2019, 2:42 PM

    Rap/ hip hop just never sounds good done by Europeans it just comes across as lame and fake .

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    Mute Michael Maher
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    Jun 9th 2019, 8:27 PM

    diddi diddle dillidy dillidy dillidy dee

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    Mute Marty
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:05 PM

    These boys are very talented not mainstream which is great….we are sick of PC bullshit we’re know
    what’s going down

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:03 PM
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    Mute Vory2Stars
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:32 PM

    5th element on youtube. Class lads!

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    Mute Donwon999
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    Jun 9th 2019, 9:49 AM

    Calling all da scraggy b I tches from accross the land. Jump up on me 1997 Civic and we’ll show those nerds.

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