#Good Friday Agreement

Sign in

#Good Friday Agreement

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>When the history of Ireland is written, and the scroll of Ireland’s peacemakers is settled, Martin Mansergh will be high on any list. Picture: Denis Minihane</p>

columnists

Fergus Finlay: Martin Mansergh was top of the list of peacemakers in the North

Throughout that period of government, the thing that bound Martin and I close together was the peace process, writes Fergus Finlay

<p>Taoiseach Micheál Martin criticised Sinn Féin who he said blew 'hot and cold on the border poll' in the last decade. Picture: Noel Sweeney/PA</p>

politics

Taoiseach says there will be no border poll before 2030

<p>Fine Gael presidential candidate Heather Humphreys was officially endorsed by Kerry South TD Michael Healy-Rae yesterday and they visited the Kingdom of Skills during the 2025 Architecture Kerry festival. The festival continues until October 8. </p>

politics

If elected, Humphreys pledges to continue to call out genocide as Michael D has done

'A true Irish republican': Martin Mansergh, former Fianna Fáil TD and advisor, dies aged 78

politics

'A true Irish republican': Martin Mansergh, former Fianna Fáil TD and advisor, dies aged 78

David Trimble death

culture

Book review: The arc of change — from firebrand unionist to unlikely peacemaker

Gerry Adams: It’s a regret that end to armed campaign took decades to bring about

news

Gerry Adams: It’s a regret that end to armed campaign took decades to bring about

Gerry Adams legal action

Gerry Adams wins €100k damages saying case was 'about putting manners on the BBC'

The former Sinn Féin leader claims a BBC Spotlight programme and a related article published in 2016 defamed him by falsely accusing him of sanctioning the killing of British agent Denis Donaldson

Fri, 30 May, 2025

Gerry Adams legal action

BBC claims it had 'multiple credible sources' for Gerry Adams allegation

Gerry Adams claims the 'Spotlight' programme and a related BBC article defamed him by falsely accusing him of sanctioning the Provisional IRA’s killing of British agent Denis Donaldson

Fri, 09 May, 2025

Chambers is right: Trump tariffs are a once-in-a-century event

Chambers is right: Trump tariffs are a once-in-a-century event

Public expenditure minister warns that the disruption is 'possibly the biggest impact on trade in over 100 years' — and it is no hyperbole

Fri, 04 Apr, 2025

Good Friday Agreement

Letters to the Editor: Ireland is well-placed to build world peace

A reader points to the Good Friday Agreement as inspiration for Ireland to protect its neutrality and help build international dialogue

Sat, 22 Feb, 2025

Omagh bombing 20th anniversary

Woman burned in Omagh bombing was ‘given last rites four times’

A woman who suffered horrific burns in the Omagh bombing has told how she was given only a 20% chance of survival and was administered the last rites four times in hospital following the explosion.

Wed, 12 Feb, 2025

Omagh Bombing Inquiry

S Mick Clifford: No room for closure when history is rewritten

Between them, the Republican movement and the British state are determined that there will not be a full reckoning with the past

Sun, 09 Feb, 2025

Book review: Remembering the GAA members killed during the Troubles

Book review: Remembering the GAA members killed during the Troubles

The 1970s were statistically the worst times of the Troubles. There were 2,096 killings between 1970 and 1979, and 68 of these were members of the GAA

Sat, 08 Feb, 2025

State Papers: Taoiseach doubted Sinn Féin and SDLP accurately represented nationalists in the North

State Papers: Taoiseach doubted Sinn Féin and SDLP accurately represented nationalists in the North

Other documents show that Sinn Féin and the SDLP were somewhat concerned about John Bruton’s commitment to the peace process

Mon, 30 Dec, 2024

Northern Ireland records released

State papers: British lord 'too bitchy' to lead north-south negotiations

Among the names proposed by unionists, the Department of Foreign Affairs determined that Lord Tonypandy was 'widely disliked' at the House of Commons, where he had previously been speaker

Sun, 29 Dec, 2024

State papers: IRA and Sinn Féin leaders were ‘paralysed’ by 2003 Stakeknife revelations

State papers: IRA and Sinn Féin leaders were ‘paralysed’ by 2003 Stakeknife revelations

The disclosure that Freddie Scappaticci was a British spy rocked Sinn Féin and the wider republican movement at a critical point in the Northern Ireland peace process

Sat, 28 Dec, 2024

General Election Ireland 2024

Micheál Martin downplays chance of border poll in five years

It comes after Sinn Féin launched their proposals on Irish unity

Fri, 22 Nov, 2024

General Election Ireland 2024

S Mick Clifford: Where do Sinn Féin’s loyalties lie?

Sinn Féin has some imaginative policies and a realistic aspiration to govern. But questions remain around their credibility and priorities

Sun, 17 Nov, 2024

Former RTÉ journalist David Davin-Power dies aged 72

Former RTÉ journalist David Davin-Power dies aged 72

Mr Davin-Power retired from RTÉ in 2017, but continued to work in the media in the wake of his retirement

Thu, 31 Oct, 2024

Criminal Courts of Justice

A relic of our troubled past: time to abolish the Special Criminal Court

The primary contemporary justification for the use of the Special Criminal Court is organised crime, which the Oireachtas annually declares the ordinary courts inadequate to deal with. But human rights advocates have repeatedly warned of the dangers of the creeping reach of emergency powers and called for its abolition, writes Claire McEvoy

Wed, 23 Oct, 2024

Book review: Ireland’s many changes to the modern age

Book review: Ireland’s many changes to the modern age

Diarmaid Ferriter's latest book spans a 25-year period when Ireland was transformed, not just economically, but socially and politically as well

Sat, 12 Oct, 2024

Republic of Ireland v England - UEFA Nations League - Group F - Aviva Stadium

Starmer may not give us back Declan Rice, but he pledges plenty on the political front

Silver linings following soccer defeat as relations between Ireland and Britain are 'reset'

Sun, 08 Sep, 2024

Omagh Bombing Inquiry

Irish Examiner view: Families deserve resolution in Omagh inquiry

Although it is 26 years since the bombing occurred, the horror of that event has not faded and some of the memories of the day persist still

Wed, 31 Jul, 2024

Irish Examiner view: Omagh inquiry is a last chance to lay to rest the ghosts of a mass murder

Irish Examiner view: Omagh inquiry is a last chance to lay to rest the ghosts of a mass murder

As we saw in the public anger over the attitude of the previous British government to legacy cases, if Ireland is to move forward there must be a foundation in truth

Mon, 29 Jul, 2024

CC SCHOOL SECRETARY PROTEST

Oireachtas committee says planning for border poll must begin 'immediately'

Good Friday Agreement committee says north-south co-operation could be stepped up immediately in areas including welfare, education, energy & climate, and foreign investment

Tue, 16 Jul, 2024

Keir Starmer's tour of the UK

Starmer ‘committed to principles of Good Friday Agreement’ over Irish unity

Mr Starner, the new British prime minister met with political parties at Stormont on Monday.

Mon, 08 Jul, 2024

Keir Starmer visit to Dublin and Belfast

Britain is ready to renew its 'profound’ partnership with Ireland

British ambassador Paul Johnston writes that Keir Starmer’s appointment as prime minister ushers in a new era for Britain — not least in terms of its relationship with Ireland

Mon, 08 Jul, 2024

General Election 2024

Labour's landslide win sparks hope in repairing Ango-Irish relations

Taoiseach Simon Harris called Keir Starmer's party's recent 174-seat majority win in the British general election a "great reset" in relations

Sat, 06 Jul, 2024

General Election 2024

Taoiseach will visit new British prime minister Keir Starmer this month

Simon Harris and Mr Starmer spoke on Friday when they discussed Northern Ireland and the restoration of the Good Friday Agreement institutions as well as legacy issues

Fri, 05 Jul, 2024

Pro-unity group Ireland's Future event

Mick Clifford: Rocky road to reach a real united Ireland

This island will one day be a single political entity. That makes sense, economically and increasingly in terms of tackling climate change among other issues

Sun, 23 Jun, 2024

Elaine Loughlin: Just like his office, Michael D Higgins's mind is overflowing with ideas

S Elaine Loughlin: Just like his office, Michael D Higgins's mind is overflowing with ideas

Political Editor Elaine Loughlin visited President Michael D Higgins in his study where he spoke about issues including food security and conflict in the Middle East — and reflected on what the future holds for him

Tue, 28 May, 2024

All-Ireland trade in goods tops €2.5bn in first quarter of 2024

All-Ireland trade in goods tops €2.5bn in first quarter of 2024

Latest InterTradeIreland survey data also suggests that one in four north-south traders plan to expand their operations

Mon, 27 May, 2024

Stormont Assembly

S Elaine Loughlin: Rise of Michelle O’Neill may pose a threat to Mary Lou McDonald’s leadership

At the top of Sinn Féin, the apprentice may be outshining the master. Michelle O’Neill’s rise and Mary Lou McDonald’s challenges paint a complex picture for the party's future

Sat, 25 May, 2024

Irish Examiner view: International Court of Justice ruling on Israel is another straw in the wind

Irish Examiner view: International Court of Justice ruling on Israel is another straw in the wind

The ICJ decision and the growing number of states condemning Israel's actions are straws in the wind — and that wind may yet blow harder still

Sat, 25 May, 2024

Award for journalism

Tributes paid following death of veteran journalist Stephen Grimason

Mr Grimason, originally from Lurgan, Co Armagh, later went on to work for the Stormont administration as director of communications

Sun, 28 Apr, 2024

Ireland In The Eighties English Republicans

S Mick Clifford: Rose Dugdale was a killer for a redundant revolution

Rose Dugdale was a genuine radical but instead of striving for equality within the parameters of democratic norms she opted for a life of excitement on the frontline of revolution

Sun, 24 Mar, 2024

Pearse McAuley was judged a hero by some until his violent leanings caused embarrassment

S Pearse McAuley was judged a hero by some until his violent leanings caused embarrassment

It is unclear how long the garda killer had been dead but the PSNI has indicated it does not consider the death suspicious

Tue, 19 Mar, 2024

Letters to the Editor: US air drops a cover for Gaza failings

Letters to the Editor: US air drops a cover for Gaza failings

One reader says that the US airdropping aid does not make the country any less complicit in the war crimes happening in Gaza, it 'simply compounds the hypocrisy'

Tue, 05 Mar, 2024

Ancient human remains found in Northern Ireland

The bog is where forensics and archaeology meet to solve ‘cold cases’

We need to think in terms of developing 'best practice' for excavating future bog bodies, drawing on contemporary approaches to investigating homicides, writes Rosie Everett, Benjamin Gearey, and Karl Harrison

Tue, 27 Feb, 2024

Migrant Channel crossing incidents

Nigel Farage and his fellow Brexiteers have done more for Irish unity than those who died for the cause

Before the Brexit referendum, few people expected a border poll on Irish unity to take place within the 25 to 50 years after. That changed the day the result was called

Tue, 27 Feb, 2024

Fern Growing From The Tree

Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc: We should seek to find the 'disappeared' of the War of Independence

Efforts are being made to find the remains of 17 people 'disappeared' in the Troubles. But the political heirs of the War of Independence have done little to find 60 people disappeared in the revolutionary era

Sun, 18 Feb, 2024

Stormont Assembly

Letters to the Editor: Replace the big parties if they collapse the North's institutions

John Cushnahan says power-sharing must be put on a firmer footing, while other readers consider topics including student accommodation, EV charging infrastructure, and the forthcoming referenda

Tue, 06 Feb, 2024

Tadgh McNally: Ireland still has much to learn from parallel peace processes

S Tadgh McNally: Ireland still has much to learn from parallel peace processes

Ireland and Colombia are two nations with a shared history. They both struggled for independence — Ireland against the British, Colombia fighting back against the Spanish Empire in the 1800s.

Sat, 13 Jan, 2024

State Papers: Tony Blair and officials keen to 'have a good time' during Irish visit

State Papers: Tony Blair and officials keen to 'have a good time' during Irish visit

The future British prime minister and members of his office were interested in having “a good time” during a planned visit to Ireland in 1993 with hints that they would like something that would appeal to fans of U2.

Thu, 28 Dec, 2023

Joe and Helen O'Toole Community Nursing Unit in Tuam opening

Failure to achieve reconciliation the ‘great miss’ of peace process – Tánaiste

Micheál Martin said many communities were as far apart in 2023 as they were in 1998, when the landmark Good Friday Agreement was struck to largely end the violence of the Troubles

Wed, 25 Oct, 2023

Gareth O'Callaghan: Sinn Féin’s history no longer seems to matter to today’s voters

S Gareth O'Callaghan: Sinn Féin’s history no longer seems to matter to today’s voters

I visited a Dublin comedy club the same weekend the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. As a result of the historic signing, the mood was jubilant.

Sat, 09 Sep, 2023

Martin Manseragh to deliver oration in Cork to commemorate War of Independence fighter

Martin Manseragh to deliver oration in Cork to commemorate War of Independence fighter

Former political adviser to three taoisigh will deliver the oration at the commemoration to mark the 101st anniversary of the death of James O'Callaghan

Thu, 31 Aug, 2023

Ulster talks Mo Mowlam/Andrews

Irish ‘liked to roll pitch in their favour’ in intergovernmental conferences

The Government liked to “roll the pitch in favour of their own team” in intergovernmental conferences with Britain, a senior (NIO) official said in 1998.

Thu, 24 Aug, 2023

Enda Brady: Jacob’s recent venture into the world of media takes the biscuit

Enda Brady: Jacob’s recent venture into the world of media takes the biscuit

BEING a broadcaster is a lot like running a pub — absolutely everyone you meet thinks they can do your job and they’re not shy about telling you.

Sat, 19 Aug, 2023

Letters to the Editor: Weaponising nuclear plants is putting us on the precipice

Letters to the Editor: Weaponising nuclear plants is putting us on the precipice

The highly acclaimed movie Oppenheimer has piqued interest in a new generation pertaining to the start of the Atomic Age and Nuclear Arms Race.

Sat, 05 Aug, 2023