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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.
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.
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.
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Am I missing something? The Irish government did absolutely nothing when British soldiers and loyalist terrorists were running amok. Imagine the British did the same in Gibraltar to Spaniards,to Argentines on the Falklands there would be uproar. Instead the Irish just turn the other cheek, its shameful
Good man James. We should have sent in the tanks.
Before or after the airforce?
Airstrike first.wipe out the RAF with our superior aerial firepower and then use our numerical tank advantage to secure everywhere from Newry to the giants causeway
“Down with this sort of thing” signs everywhere.
Do you think we’ll need the navy at all? Lol
Oh yes of course.how do you think we are going to prevent a counter attack from Britain?we will use all our ships to blockade every british port so no reinforcements can be sent.
Shinnertrolls trying to rewrite history….
*Tank, let’s not get hasty and overestimate the resources of the Irish army.
*Tank, let’s not be hasty and overestimate the capability of the Irish army after all.
Excellent plan Conor. I’m in :D
Welcome Dane/ Thomas Mac, see you’ve got a new name.
Sorry I’m confused. Is a Shinnertroll someone who trolls Shinners or a Shinner who trolls other people?
Excellent, Do you want to be in charge of the Airforce, Army or Navy?
@james ‘am i missing something’ – eh yes James a great deal.
@Old Gabby LOL
I think I’ll take the navy I like row boats
Excellent choice.do you invisage any problems?
Trident nuclear subs :D
Yea…both of them…
Spring was a champagne socialist a lot like the current lot of Labour gobsheens.
A lot like Paul Murphy too or Rich Boy Barrett.
was this sudden urge before or after tatcher asked about their feelings on Brittan bombing Dundalk in pursuit of the ira??
she only woke up herself after realising US president Reagan thought allot more about NI than both gov’s combined
SOURCE – RTE
Gabby/diurmid how on hell is spring like Barrett or Murphy? Spring never once stood out for his principles or did anything for anyone apart for himself..
Ironically, during this period , Dick Spring maintained Section 31 and The Special Criminal Courts, while refusing to include, or speak to Republicans in any discussions that his Government were having with The British Government , SDLP and Unionist Parties.
Isn’t it amazing , how his memory doesn’t extend to these actual facts ?
In fact he has always shown a pseudo Republican mentality , while displaying in reality , a huge hatred towards Republicans in Ireland.
He displayed a hatred of terrorists as opposed to a hatred of republicans. You SF supporters don’t have an exclusive right to be called republicans.
Nonsensical rantings from Comical Eddie.
So Spring disliked SF/PIRA terrorists and gunrunners?
Fair play to him. He was like the vast majority of decent Irish people.
Dairmuid; SF/IRA? Great to see your still in the DUP 1985 mind set today. Are you missing broadcasting bans still?
Eddie displaying your ignorance again. Do you know who Dick Springs father was? Dick Spring is steeped in teh republican tradition and in gaelic games/language – he knows all about republicanism.
The unionists hated Spring – calling him ‘dirty dick’. Again another shinner who thinks the term republican is exclusively Provo Sinn Féin… who both signed up to partition, ended their policy of united ireland or nothing and who act as representatives of the crown in Ireland.
I am no fan of Dick Spring btw – but lets not let the SF propagandists away with a re-writing of history.
2015 mindset Bowe, as you well know.
Eddie is just jealous that Spring defeated his beloved Martin Ferris repeatedly and did more for Kerry than Ferris ever did.
What was Ferris up to in the 1980s Eddie? Enjoying prison food?
Gabby – Not only did I know the Springs , having been reared nearby in Tralee , but comparing Dan and Dick is like chalk and cheese .
I even voted for both of them – regretfully, before I realised their ‘using’ The Republican card , for vote gathering only.
Dick showed his true colours , when under the pressure for trying to save his seat in Kerry , he accused Martin Ferris of being a drug dealer.
The Electorate saw through his porkie and his vote deservedly collapsed and his Political career too, with the loss of his seat.
It looks likely that his Nephew, Arthur, is about to lose his job as a TD , shortly too !
Ferris is a convicted terrorist and criminal.
I’m sure he has thick skin.
Maggie often derided in Ireland was in fact the Brit who gave Ireland more freedom than most.
All credit for peace should go to Gerry Adams, the Irish Nelson Mandela.
Please explain that inane comment. What freedom did she give us?
Thatcher was a horrible cow who destroyed the most vulnerable all across the UK. She was hated.. But absolutely adored by the elites and top percentage earners. Two tier everything is what she wanted.. It’s what happening in Ireland now. Fine Gael.
Thatcher didn’t want anything to do with these negotiations. She was strong armed by the Regan administration into taking part. She gave us very little in the end and what she gave us was given begrudgingly. She was no friend to Ireland.
If you threw a Thatcher wig on enda they are practically identical. Scary
As it says above the Anglo Irish Agreement paved the way for peace on this island and the good Friday agreement.
@ SN: “If you threw a Thatcher wig on enda they are practically identical. Scary”
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/87/88/6c/87886c7407a50f6fbf8bc51670b9bf30.jpg
Shudder! Who said reincarnation was a load of BS ? Lol
It didn’t. The Anglo Irish agreement was a fudge which no one supported. Republicans found it to be weak. Loyalists thought it went too far. The British didn’t want it. The only people who were happy with it were Fitzgerald, Spring and a few powerful Irish/Americans in Washington and even they weren’t truly happy with it in the end. Revisionists like to claim this was the beginning of something but it wasn’t. If anything it was a blueprint on how to not negotiate peace in Ireland.
Revisionist BS and lies.
The 26 counties secured a say in the running of the north for the first time in 185 years.
There would be no Good Friday Agreement otherwise.
Alright Duirmuid. If you say so.
Not to mention an implicit acknowledgement by the Brits that NI was not an indivisible part of the UK, but had special status, with a foreign State have a legitimate interest in its affairs.
Muiris however clearly sides with the Unionists who hated it.
Words on a page Duirmuid, that’s all it was. If the parties involved had no intention of implementing those words, they were and are meaningless. The war continued. British backed Loyalist groups went on killing and the Provisionals went on bombing. The Anglo Irish Agree to Disagreement was a failure.
Most international treaties are words on a page.
It was a seismic shift, in both practical and historical terms. Find me a historian who says otherwise.
British/Irish relations improved at a rate of knots, leading to the Downing Street Declaration a few years later and the Good Friday Agreement a few years after that.
Fighting Irish my hole .. The whole country hid behind their rosary beads except for a brave few who hid behind their armalites .)
Dick Spring was a fantastic politician for Kerry and Ireland. Same can’t be said for his nephew and political heir Arthur. I cannot see him keeping his seat next time around. Labour have lost the working class and don’t seem to care at all.
The only hope Labour had was to elect someone of Arthur’s generation during the leadership contest.
By Working class…. do you mean Never worked class?
Oh dear God, get a grip!!
Aah, Dick-head Spring, now claiming his role in the Anglo-Irish Agreement paved the way for the Good Friday Agreement, which, let’s face it, did actually do something to achieve some sort of settlement in Ireland.
What did the Anglo Irish Diktat actually achieve for those Irish citizens in the part his previous Labour leaders had abandoned?
Maryfield, a great big building at 100 Bothar Beal Firste, filled with lazy civil servants who did, well, just what evidence is there they anything positive for Irish people, Loyalist murders, sponsored by, and armed by the british government, continued apace, indeed, C’ Coy UDA grew massively following this, as did their drug dealing, UVF in mid-Ulster, controlled by the RUC and MI5, continued murdering even more indigenous citizens, all with the assistance of the same brit government actors, don’t take my word for it, although, I have direct experience on the ground at the time.
Of course, in 1987 and thereafter we got rid of simple Dick and Garret, and instead got Charlie, again, but then Albert, who actually did move things forward, before being abandoned by Dick, shortly afterwards being replaced by Bertie who maintained the tremendous efforts of Albert in respect of the occupied part of our country, although, the brit’s did manage, with assistance of their agents in the Belfast and Derry IRA’Sinn Fein, to control this too.
Dick-head Spring did sweet fanny adams, but he’s seeking a legacy now, he should be called out at every opportunity to show what he actually managed, the gaunch. I assure you, as a citizen, then living in the six counties, the Anglo Irish Agreement, made no difference whatsoever to us, beaten by brit’s/RUC, and murder attempts by their drug dealing-child abusing compatriots in their UDA/UDR/UVF.
Anything that was done by the sf/ira before the gfa should just be forgotten about, if it was done by agents of the local government then it is fair game.
Did I not read somewhere that you are an ex British soldier?
That’s true
Rod it isnt PIRA who is hiding behind the ‘ national security’ curtain to hide past actions. That is your beloved British forces and government who are blocking all and every attempt at a conflict/victims resolution forum.
Have a read of the book “Lethal Allies”, British Collusion in Ireland which tells the story of how killer gangs killed 120 people, mainly nationalists, on both sides of the Border between 1972 and 1976.
The book establishes that a significant number of these killers were serving members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Ulster Defence Regiment of the British Army.
Did the ira publish a list of names of who served in which brigade and when? Lots of people served in the British armed forces, that information is public is the ira membership list online.
No Not_Rod_Ten, or eleven, but Ian and others did mention names using his brit Dail privilege, his son did without the privilege putting mine, and QUB colleagues lives at serious risk for no reason except publicity and sheer badness.
I have read Anne’s book, twice, I have several family members mentioned in it, all murdered by the RUC-UDR-UVF-brit army, although, well. I’ll leave that for another day!
You sound angry
No, that would not be me, just pointing out wee facts.
Was a bit peeved at Ian when he made ridiculous, derived from his father’s sources but, frankly, checking my car/back all day every day meant anger I had no time for, just survival
That elected representatives, and their family, could, and did, use intelligence reports from MI5 and RUC is dreadful, especially when it resulted in innocent people, like Pat Finnucane, dying.
I know brit’s died too, many young men simply trying to escape life on the dole in Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham but, the actions of the key player, the brit government, with the wholesome inaction of the 1970′s/80′s Irish governments benefited neither the young brit’s not the young Irish, who otherwise would never have been involved in a war.
When you’re hammered by a foreign solider, just because your school uniform does not match the local protestant school uniform with red, while and blue, then you get to thinking, ‘maybe the RA are right to kill them.
Soldier insults school kid, you therefore think it’s ok to murder that soldier?
Where did you learn to read?
Great comeback
Who cares about all this rubbish now. Move on. The journal keeps too many articles about the north in the headlines. Why live in the past when there are plenty of issues to bring into the public eye. Politicians will prostitute themselves for a picture in the paper but using the Poole in Northern Ireland as pawns is a real low.
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