Dr John Bowman, Eamon Phoenix, John Bew, Jonathan Bardon and Irish Times writers look at the newly released 1981 cabinet papers from Dublin, Belfast and London
The North
- Early hopes give way to hostility and suspicions It was a long summer of claims, counterclaims and negotiations to try to bring the IRA hunger strikes to an end, writes JOHN BEW
- Hume pressed British for joint sovereignty SDLP chief angry over Thatcher's stance, writes EAMON PHOENIX in Belfast
- Gowrie role crucial to ending H-block protests The NI prisons minister met with protesters' families and within days the strike was called off, writes EAMON PHOENIX
- The year of hunger strikes, the ballot box and the Armalite ANALYSIS: 1981 turned out to be a watershed year as the Provisional IRA took its first steps towards democratic politics
- Sands rejected pope's order to come off hunger strike HUNGER STRIKES: IRA hunger-striker Bobby Sands rejected a moral directive from pope John Paul II, as head of the Roman Catholic Church, to end his fast, according to State papers issued under the 30-year rule.
- UK encouraged human rights approach to Maze HUNGER STRIKES: The British government gave active behind-the-scenes encouragement to efforts by then taoiseach Charles Haughey to involve the European Commission of Human Rights in resolving the 1981 hunger strike at the Maze Prison, Long Kesh.
- Coalition urged not to get 'too close' to IRA on hunger strikes HUNGER STRIKES: The Fine Gael-Labour government of 1981 was in “real danger of getting too close to the IRA” on the Maze hunger strike, the country’s top civil servant warned as the prison fast entered its 20th week.
- British officials told to keep talks 'long, worthy, meaty and dull' ANGLO-IRISH RELATIONS: Margaret Thatcher personally vetoed any initiative that would have led to further Anglo-Irish co-operation and British officials were urged to keep any correspondence with their Irish counterparts “long, worthy, meaty and dull” in 1981, papers released by the National Archives in London reveal.
- 'Irish Times' letters reveal 'band of brothers' role ANGLO-IRISH RELATIONS: Evidence from the British and Irish cabinet papers for 1981 may reveal few clues that within four years Garret FitzGerald and Margaret Thatcher would sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985.
- Irish ambassador aware of Britain's shifting views on Northern Ireland ANGLO-IRISH RELATIONS: In August 1981, the Irish ambassador to Britain, Eamon Kennedy, was on holidays in France when he learned that incoming taoiseach Garret FitzGerald was convening a confidential summit of senior policy-makers at Iveagh House. This was to review in a “frank and uninhibited manner” all policy options on Northern Ireland.
- De Valera's expression of sympathy to diplomat condemned HITLER'S DEATH: Éamon de Valera was told that by expressing condolences to the German ambassador on the death of Adolf Hitler, he had “shown allegiance to a devil”, newly declassified papers reveal.
- More than 500,000 'fit for military service' NUCLEAR THREAT: Secret contingency plans for a third world war declared more than half a million Irish people would be fit for military service.
- Four weeks of summer could have been lost EEC STANDARDS: Ireland could have lost up to four weeks of summer time if a government decision to concede to a European Economic Community (EEC) plan had gone ahead, State papers for 1981 show.
- 'Unthinkable' Eurovision suggestion IVEAGH HOUSE RECEPTION: The offer by the taoiseach’s department of a Eurovision reception for 300 people in Iveagh House was considered so small it would “merely create lasting bad feeling on the part of the visiting delegates”, according to files in the 1981 State papers.
- Sexual revolution promoted to teenagers, letter alleged CENSORSHIP: A sexual revolution was being promoted to teenagers in Ireland by “the contraception and abortion industries” in 1981, according to a letter to then taoiseach Charles Haughey.
- Indecision on whether Hillery should attend royal wedding ROYAL WEDDING: The question of whether the president should attend the royal wedding caused procrastination and conflicting opinions among government officials, 1981 files from the taoiseach’s department show.
- Private business people joining trade mission to Libya described as 'unusual' BUSINESS TRIP: Officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs queried the involvement of private businesspeople in a trade mission to Libya led by then minister for transport and posts and telegraphs, Albert Reynolds.
- Politicians meet PLO 'illegally' in Beirut ARAFAT MEETING: The visas of a group of Irish politicians visiting Beirut had expired when they met PLO chairman and opponent of the Lebanese authorities Yasser Arafat in January 1980.
- Marital rape law rejected due to family concerns LAW: A law on marital rape was not introduced in 1981 partly because it was believed it might be an obstacle to the reconciliation of the couple, State papers show.
- Thatcher in Maze 'concessions' HUNGER STRIKES: British prime minister Margaret Thatcher personally sanctioned concessions aimed at ending the 1981 hunger strike at the Maze Prison, Long Kesh, but the deal was rejected by the IRA, documents released under the 30-year rule have disclosed.
- FitzGerald told Thatcher security ties with UK could be severed over crisis HUNGER STRIKES: Garret FitzGerald warned Margaret Thatcher that Ireland could be forced to cut off security ties with the British at the height of the hunger strikes.
- Family got hunger striker to continue, says report HUNGER STRIKES: Files contain allegations that a weak Raymond McCreesh wanted to take nourishment but was talked out of it.
- Minutes show how Fr Faul and Prior paved way to hunger strike resolution HUNGER STRIKES: At Cardinal Ó Fiaich’s behest, Fr Denis Faul set out his view of the prisoners’ position and how the strike might be ended. In turn, NI secretary of state Jim Prior pledged to take a conciliatory approach
- Embassy examined relationship between IRA and the media
JOURNALISM: Embassy officials identified a ‘scattering’ of IRA sympathisers in the Irish media
- Robinson called for Border to be sealed REACTION: An account of a late-night conversation between present First Minister Peter Robinson and a Stormont official in the wake of the IRA murder of Rev Robert Bradford MP is revealed in this year’s Stormont releases.
- 10 men fast to death in seven months HUNGER STRIKES BACKGROUND: The first to embark on the 1981 fast to the death was Bobby Sands, leader of the Irish Republican Army inmates at the Maze Prison, Long Kesh, outside Belfast.
- Tale of two taoisigh and their opposing views on the North THE NORTH: Rapid changes in government in 1981 complicated matters for the many civil servants involved in fashioning the policy represented in the peace process.
Charles Haughey
- Haughey rejected proposal to stop sending official messages of congratulation to Vatican PAPAL MESSAGES: A breach of protocol in 1981 meant Pope John Paul II was sent both a birthday and an anniversary message from the government, but proposals to cease sending any messages were firmly rejected by then taoiseach Charles Haughey, according to State papers from the Department of the Taoiseach.
- Saddam Hussein deputy invited Haughey to Iraq BAGHDAD TRIP: An unusual invitation to Iraq for taoiseach Charles Haughey led the Department of Foreign Affairs to prepare a brief justifying the planned visit in October 1980, and flagging potentially difficult questions over its usefulness.
- Former taoiseach reluctant to queue for Reagan meeting US VISIT: Former taoiseach Charles Haughey insisted he would not be joining any queue to meet US president Ronald Reagan after his inauguration.
- No expenses spared as Boss let State pick up the tab for wine HAUGHEY INVOICES: The late Charles Haughey ordered a case of expensive wine five days before leaving office in 1981, State papers for the Department of the Taoiseach show.
- Chancellor told Haughey EU mood turning ugly BONN MEETING: The European community was “not a nice club just now”, German chancellor Helmut Schmidt told taoiseach Charles Haughey, and “the mood had become quite ugly”.
- Haughey leaps to O'Kennedy's aid to bump up his pension O'KENNEDY PENSION: He may have been minister for finance for the 1980 “tighten your belts” budget but in 1981 Michael O’Kennedy went to great lengths to increase his ministerial pension entitlements.
Other News
- Abortion change not necessary, AG advised AMENDMENT: Internal opposition to an anti-abortion amendment to the Constitution was expressed at an early stage of the new government led by Garret FitzGerald in 1981.
- Gorta dismayed by opening of fundraising shop by Oxfam CHARITY SECTOR: The opening of a first Irish charity shop by British development aid organisation Oxfam in the 1970s was strongly opposed by development agency Gorta because of an agreement reached with the government 10 years earlier not to fundraise in Ireland.
- Flight path propelled by outgoing Flynn KNOCK AIRPORT: A £3.6 million government contract to start development at Knock airport was signed five days after the 1981 general election by the outgoing junior minister for transport Pádraig Flynn, State papers show.
- When zoo animals got mixed up in international incident DIPLOMATIC IMPASSE: Whatever about bringing the horse to France, a proposed exchange of giraffes from Dublin for an elephant from Delhi reached something of an “impasse” in 1981.
- FitzGerald appealed to cardinal on child code MIXED MARRIAGES: Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald made a written appeal to Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich in October 1981 over the Catholic Church’s “mixed marriage” law, for the sake of peace in Northern Ireland.
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