Macbeth and Hamlet were mentioned by the main protagonists, but in truth, it was far closer to A Christmas Carol.

The two young leaders, Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair, both came to power in 1997, writes Daniel McConnell.

We weren’t just ending the conflict, we were also putting in place arrangements to replace the Anglo-Irish Agreement, writes then junior minister Liz O’Donnell

Considered by many the cornerstone of peace and stability on the island of Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement and the path to it was fraught with hurdles and political landmines, writes Juno McEnroe.

The architects of the Good Friday Agreement have joined forces to urge British prime minister Theresa May to end her “aloof” approach to the North and help break the year-long political deadlock two decades on from the historic peace deal.

Senator George Mitchell has said a Brexit outcome that avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland must be encouraged.

The lack of an Assembly in the North has been “corrosive and damaging”, the Taoiseach has said.

"The task (of restoring the powersharing institutions) could not be more urgent."

It is more than half a century since our relationship with America reached peak sycophancy. Just months before he was assassinated, John F Kennedy spent four days in Ireland.

THE proposal by the Trump administration to abolish the position of US special envoy to Northern Ireland must be countered by both the Irish and British governments.

Economic pragmatism played a huge part in Martin McGuinness’ transformation from IRA leader to peace-seeking statesman, writes Kyran Fitzgerald.

Former US special envoy to Northern Ireland George Mitchell has issued a hard-hitting put down to the US administration, insisting America is about diversity and not “who we want to keep out and throw out”.

Enda Kenny has sparked fresh speculation over when he will step down after a draft version of his speech to a major event last night initially said it would be his last Patrick’s Day as Taoiseach — before the line was deleted entirely from the script.

Irish diplomats received over €820,000 worth of tuition in Swahili, Hebrew, Chinese, and other languages since 2013, records show.

The future of the prestigious George Mitchell scholarships, which allows top US students to study in Ireland for a year, is under threat due to the withdrawal of funding by Irish and American governments, businesses, and philanthropists.

An event will take place in Dublin today to mark the 18th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, as well as the Easter Rising.

Eamon Gilmore believes Europe can offer tangible support to Colombia as it embarks on its peace process, writes Ann Cahill Europe Correspondent

George Mitchell’s life and career epitomise the American dream but it was his perception and patience that made it a great success, discovers Ryle T Dwyer.

Between Mr Sepp ‘Steering The Ship’ Blatter (see elsewhere on this page), Mr Patrick ‘Golf Balls’ Neary (see the finance/comedy section) and Mr REDACTED REDACTED’REDACTED (see various legal eagles), it hasn’t been a great few days for prominent personages.

THE opening salvo in Britain’s attempt to realign its relationship with the European Union was fired on the fringes of a two-day Eastern Partnership summit which began last evening in Riga.

As the Impac shortlist is announced, Alan O’Riordan rounds up the candidates for the €100,000 prize, the most lucrative in literature

It was sad to learn of former Taoiseach and FF leader Albert Reynolds’ death, at the age of 81, after a long illness. Reynolds had a fruitful career in various government ministries, from the 1970s to the ’90s.

As our bloody history shows, and as its legacy never allows us forget, our capacity to inflict atrocity after atrocity on each other is almost boundless.

Turning the pages in Hillary Clinton’s new book, it is clear that this is a woman not about to rest on her laurels, and it seems she has her sights firmly set on the US presidency, reports Betty Browne.

Former US president Bill Clinton was prepped to publicly scold the political leaders in Northern Ireland if they failed to get agreement during the talks on Good Friday 1998.

The goalposts have been moved every day since the story about spying at the GSOC offices broke.

Former Ireland B international Lewis Emanuel has been sentenced to eight years in prison for his part in a post office armed robbery in May.

Politicians who have made strong comments about banks may be excluded from the long-awaited inquiry into the banking crisis.

Richard Fitzpatrick picks his top summer reads — don’t go to the beach without one of these in your bag.

Colum McCann has pushed the boundaries out with his new book Transatlantic. He tells Sue Leonard how he approached writing it and his earlier books

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Colm O’Broin misses the point of the Taoiseach giving a bowl of shamrock to the US president every year.

After two decades as a diplomatic troubleshooter in hotspots from Afghanistan to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi firmly believes that every conflict can be solved.

Veteran CBS newsman Mike Wallace has died at 93.

IT’S A dark and moonless night on the west coast.

In the 2006 animated blockbuster 'Happy Feet', an alienated emperor penguin named Mumbles found empowerment through tap-dancing, and in so doing managed to both attract a mate and stop the overfishing that imperiled his Antarctic habitat.

A SUNDAY newspaper has issued a public apology to Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly arising from false allegations made against him in articles published 15 years ago.

Israeli troops clashed with Arab protesters today along three hostile borders, including the frontier with Syria, leaving at least 12 people dead and dozens wounded.

Former US senator George Mitchell has resigned as President Barack Obama’s special envoy to the Middle East amid turmoil in the region and fruitless attempts at rekindling Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

THE Middle East peace process lay in tatters yesterday after Washington admitted defeat in its efforts to secure an Israeli freeze on settlement building, the Palestinians’ condition for resuming talks.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams ended his Stormont career today by praising the “remarkable” achievement of power-sharing.