Irish Examiner view: Albert Reynolds, the broker of deals

State archives

British prime minister John Major with Taoiseach Albert Reynolds at 10, Downing Street in London, during a visit by Reynolds for talks over British troops in the North. Picture: Getty 

The release of previously confidential government papers is always an intriguing time for historians, writers,
researchers, and citizens in general. And how much more valuable it is when the matters and personalities covered are within our memories, now that the time lag on embargoed material has been reduced from 30 years to 20.

The current treasure trove covers 1992 to 1998 in Irish-Anglo relations and the stewardships of Charles Haughey and Albert Reynolds. The British prime minister was John Major, whose main appeal and endearment to Ireland was that he was not Margaret Thatcher. 

He could therefore safely acknowledge to those who sat at the table opposite him that he did not believe the IRA could be beaten militarily. While history tells us that this is a logical conclusion when urban guerrilla campaigns are waged against incumbent state forces, it is not a concessionary view that Thatcher would have offered. 

It allowed Major to develop a constructive working relationship with Albert Reynolds and his foreign minister, Dick Spring, and lay foundations for talks which would eventually be carried forward by Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern into the Good Friday agreement.

Haughey also takes some credit. It was he who suggested there should be two Anglo-Irish summits each year alternating between Dublin and London to discuss Northern Ireland, the EC, and international issues. 

Unfortunately for Haughey hagiographers, the enduring image of this data dump will be his dissatisfaction at the standard of cuisine offered by the Dáil catering service for State visits and dignitaries. The venison paté served at lunch in Dublin Castle was a “disaster”, he felt. And don’t get him going on the trout sauce.