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STATE PAPERS

Peace wall on Cupar Street off Shankill Road Photograph: David Sleator/The Irish Times

Confidential report into Belfast peacelines found no ‘alternative means of segregation’

State papers: Perception on the Shankill Road in 1990s was ‘fear of encroachment’

Pithy and precise: The Post-It notes from Bruton’s era

Pithy and precise: The Post-It notes from Bruton’s era

Former taoiseach was in the habit of responding to reports using yellow stickers

State papers: Haughey told to prioritise development, ‘not environment’

State papers: Haughey told to prioritise development, ‘not environment’

Taoiseach opted to set up Environmental Protection Agency despite mandarin’s resistance

New York City mayor Ed Koch travelled to Ireland on a peace pilgrimage with Cardinal John O’Connor, Archbishop of New York. File photograph: New York Times

State papers: New York mayor’s reflections on NI spark outrage

‘Not particularly well-informed’ Ed Koch lauded ‘good attitude’ of British on peace trip

Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair are all smiles after the Belfast Agreement is signed on April 10th 1998. Photograph: John Giles/PA

John Bowman: Who exactly should get credit for the Belfast Agreement?

Newly released files from 1991-1998 allow for fresh assessment of the peace brokers

Michael Collins throws in the ball to start a hurling match at Croke Park, Dublin. Photograph: Hogan/Hulton Archive/ Getty Images

State papers: Compensation paid to some families of Bloody Sunday victims revealed

Newly released files show mother of boy shot dead in attack by British forces received £50

‘His explanation for his actions was that he got panic-stricken when he found himself in charge of an illegitimate infant late at night.’

2:27 State papers: Father sentenced to death freed after three years

Only case since 1922 in which man was convicted of murder of an illegitimate child

The Irish Times view on the State papers: tracing the path to peace

The relationship between Albert Reynolds and John Major was a key factor that led to the IRA ceasefire of August 1994

Dr Patrick Hillery received an unusual request in 1978. File photograph: Pat Langan

President Hillery was asked for help over princess’s insurance claim after jewel theft

Unusual request following Dalkey armed robbery revealed in newly released State papers

Then taoiseach Charles Haughey added a handwritten note at the bottom of the correspondence. File photograph: Cyril Byrne

2:52 State papers: Otter hunting beyond the pale for Charles Haughey

‘I agree that there should be no licences issued and this decision should be announced’

Portadown grand master Harold Gracey (turning around, closest to camera) ‘would have been lynched if he had not walked the Garvaghy Road’ in 1997, fellow Orangeman Dennis Watson said. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

Drumcree 1997: Mo Mowlam rounded on Orangeman over Twelfth march

Northern secretary told Orange Order it was driving support for Sinn Féin and IRA

Office buildings in London’s docklands which were devastated in a ceasefire-ending IRA bomb blast in February 1996. Photograph: David Giles/PA Wire

Security chiefs advised that IRA surrender of weapons was ‘unnecessary’

Adams said IRA held threat of violence for ‘25 years if necessary’ in 1996

Protesting loyalists are arrested by RUC in riot gear, during the siege at Drumcree 1998. Photograph: Eric Luke

State Papers: Drumcree 1998 – Blair tried to end dispute with economic fund

Unionists felt if they lost battle in Portadown ‘they had no future’

Drumcree church. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA photo

Drumcree 1996: Major ‘resented’ taoiseach’s criticism of his role

PM threatened to end call after Bruton condemned ‘political’ decision to allow march

Daniel O’Connell’s death bed, now on display at Derrynane House. Photograph: Derrynane House

State papers: Curious case of Daniel O’Connell’s ‘missing’ death bed

Difficult end for Liberator, but he ‘died as an infant sinks upon his mother’s breast to sleep’

Orange Order officials leaving Downing Street in July 1998 after a meeting with Tony Blair. From left, county grand master Dennis Watson, George Patton, William Bingham and Stephen McLaughlin. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Orange Order raised Border poll concerns with Blair in 1998

‘People feared that in 30 years the nationalists might insist on using it,’ members said

UK prime minister Tony Blair and taoiseach Bertie Ahern at Hillsborough Castle, 2002. Photograph: Paul McErlane/Reuters

Ahern threatened to walk away if unionists failed to take North-South council seriously

Taoiseach told UK government he had changed ‘my damn Constitution’ for peace

Former GAA director general Liam Mulvihill wrote to Charlie Haughey on the cost of hurleys in 1990. File photograph: Frank Miller

GAA director urged Charlie Haughey to abolish VAT on hurleys

Liam Mulvihill said cost of hurleys was making it almost prohibitive to take up sport

Bono flanked by UUP leader David Trimble and SDLP leader John Hume on stage during a special concert in Belfast. Photograph: Chris Bacon/PA

The difficult birth of a new Northern Ireland in 1998

Declassified files cover a time of exhilarating highs and the ever-present threat of violence

Roger Casement leaving court in London before being returned to prison in 1916. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Discovery of export of Casement pistols to US caused alarm in 1991

Department of the Taoiseach and National Museum notified after letter from gun collector

The aftermath of the Omagh bombing in August 1998. Photograph: Frank Miller

Ahern briefed Blair on Real IRA activity two weeks before Omagh bombing

On the morning after the bombing Ahern and Blair met in Belfast to discuss its implications and their joint response

Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown and Brenda Fricker as Bridget Fagan Brown, Christy’s mother. File photograph: Palace Pictures

State papers: My Left Foot’s star turn absent for Haughey reception

Daniel Day-Lewis unable to attend dinner in lead up to Academy Awards as in Greece

Jeffrey Donaldson was elected as a Westminster MP for the UUP in Lagan Valley in May 1997. He joined the DUP in 2004. File photograph: Eric Luke/The Irish Times

The young Jeffrey Donaldson: ‘A liberal; not devoid of personal charm’

A 1997 profile of current DUP leader is contained in newly released Belfast files

From left, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, US senator George Mitchell, and former British prime minister Tony Blair smile after signing the Belfast Agreement in 1998. Photograph: Dan Chung/ AFP via Getty

‘War is not over,’ said McGuinness just months after signing Belfast Agreement

Officials spent thousands of hours trying to come up with formula of words that would allow Executive to be formed

South African archbishop Desmond Tutu ‘used the word ubuntu - a certain African trait of being willing to forgive’. Photograph: Ginluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images

South Africa still has a lesson for North, says academic behind ‘peace safari’

State papers: Padraig O’Malley’s 1997 trust-building trip was dubbed ‘rubbish’ by then taoiseach

Then taoiseach John Bruton got legal advice in 1996 on a decision apparently related to the possibility of a restoration of a Provisional IRA ceasefire. File photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times

3:36 Engaging with ‘Provo fascists’ unavoidable, AG told John Bruton

Legal advice to then taoiseach set out pros and cons for decision related to ceasefire

Progressive Unionist Party leader David Ervine (right), pictured with Billy Hutchinson, accused Martin McGuinness of using threatening language during talks ahead of the Belfast Agreement. Photograph: Frank Miller

3:36 McGuinness and Ervine went ‘face to face’ during testy Belfast talks

SF negotiator blamed unionists for ‘creating a climate where murder was inevitable’

Nationalists celebrate the IRA ceasefire in Belfast, 1994. Photograph: Peter Thursfield

Troubles were costing Irish taxpayer ‘up to three times more than British counterpart’

Security costs were running at £200m per year, according to 1994 State correspondence

David Trimble and John Hume at Castle Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, in November 2001. File photograph: AP

Hume advised nationalists not to ‘claim victory’ during Belfast pact referendum

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble asked NIO to delay appointment of ministers for six months

Taoiseach Albert Reynolds with British prime minister John Major and minister for foreign affairs Dick Spring outside 10 Downing Street in February 1994. File photograph: The Irish Times

State papers: Reynolds told Major of commitment to end NI conflict

Irish ministers viewed British demand to remove unilaterally articles 2 and 3 as ‘unhelpful’

Britain’s former prime minister John Major and his wife, Norma: their evening in Dublin made such a lasting impression on the prime minister that he mentioned it again, 18 years later. Photograph: Reuters

Messiah hits the right notes for John Major in Dublin

That night ‘was once of the most treasured memories of my years in office’ says former British prime minister

John Major, John Hume and then Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in Westminster in 2007. Photograph: Eric Luke

Sinn Féin/IRA did not want ‘permanent’ in any ceasefire announcement

State papers: Major probed Hume on SDLP’s view of Sinn Féin position on wording

A watchtower and perimeter wall of the Maze Prison. Photograph: Paul McErlane/Bloomberg News

2:39 IRA chiefs in Maze approved building escape tunnel ‘but wanted it to fail’

When prison staff found tunnel in 1997, republicans said it was occupational therapy

Bob Geldof in Ethiopia. He was nominated by the Irish government for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for his work on famine relief in the country. Photograph: Antony Njuguna/Reuters

2:46 Official called Bob Geldof ‘fairly has-been’ when considering Nobel nomination

Government considered putting singer’s name forward for the peace prize a second time

Charles Haughey congratulates Stephen Roche on his Tour de France victory in 1987. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho

Plan for ‘Irish knighthoods’ system fell flat, files from 1991 show

Stephen Roche, U2 and Bob Geldof could have been included in proposed honours list

Bertie Ahern with Mo Mowlam. Photograph: Brian Little/PA Wire

Ahern questioned impartiality of RUC with Blair in 1998 talks

State papers: Figures cited by then taoiseach were disputed by Northern Ireland Office

Mary Robinson was ‘especially worried about the state of the kitchens’ in Áras an Uachtaráin. File photograph: Matt Kavanagh/The Irish Times

Áras unsafe ‘for habitation’ when Robinson moved in

Previously classified report said inspector would have ‘no option but to condemn’ building

Taoiseach John Bruton and UK prime minister John Major during a Downing Street news conference in November 1995. Photograph: Sean Dempsey/Pool/Reuters

6:05 Major told Bruton he struggled to ‘believe a word Sinn Féin/IRA say’

Two leaders disagreed over need for wait period after ceasefire for SF to enter talks

Dr Elizabeth Mitchell, who as senior medical officer for Northern Ireland in 1997, drafted a contingency plan for the region to assist the local health service in preparing draft arrangements. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA Wire

Pandemic contingency plan was drawn up in North in 1997, files show

Archived papers released on Tuesday show there was ‘imminent’ concern about new strain of flu

The Department of Foreign Affairs at Iveagh House on St Stephen’s Green, Dublin. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien

2:22 ‘How to lie convincingly’: Foreign Affairs joke handbook revealed

Declassified State papers uncover ‘real meaning’ of diplomats’ stock responses

Tony Blair with his Northern secretary Mo Mowlam at Stormont the day before the Belfast Agreement was signed. Photograph: John Giles/Reuters

5:47 SF sought ‘50% plus one’ clause in final hours of Belfast Agreement talks

Party also wanted convicts let out on licence to be allowed to stand for election, files show

President Mary Robinson with Cardinal Cathal Daly at Áras an Uachtaráin in July 1991. Photograph: Frank Miller

1991: Gulf War, Imma opens, Freddie Mercury RIP

The year that was: Birmingham Six freed, Beef Tribunal, Morrison visas launched

Taoiseach Charles Haughey and British prime minister John Major leaving Government Buildings in May 1991. Photograph: Eric Luke

John Bowman: Haughey ‘misread’ bid for peace in North – but was right on one major issue

State papers: History shows former taoiseach correct not to unilaterally abandon Articles 2 and 3

A Yes supporter after referendums on the Belfast Agreement get the support of voters in Northern Ireland and in the Republic. Photograph: Max Nash/ AP

The Path to Peace: A timeline of the peace process in the 1990s

From bomb attacks to ceasefires, decommissioning and roundtable talks

Floral tributes for Tim Parry and Johnathan Ball, from Grapenhill, Warrington, who were killed in the IRA bomb blast in Warrington in 1993. Photograph: Richard Baker/Getty Images

State papers: Warrington bomb that killed two children touched a ‘sensitive nerve’

Ambassador refers to misleading media coverage around State ambivalence to IRA

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams leaving Westminster Hall in London, 2001. Photograph: Peter J Jordan/PA Photo

3:00 Gerry Adams was still on IRA army council in 1994 – UK security adviser

Adviser also said ‘Slab’ Murphy had expressed reservations about ending violence

Charles Haughey and John Major leaving Government Buildings in 1991. Photograph: Eric Luke

Haughey warned Major against giving European Parliament extra powers

Major was opposed to idea of single currency but Haughey said it was worth the risk

The Queen Mother with Princess Margaret in 1993. Photograph: PA Photos

Queen Mother was ‘dying to go’ to Ireland

She asked if she would be next to visit State after Prince Charles’s trip in 1995

President Patrick Hillery at Leopardstown in 1979 with one of the horses that ran in his colours, Giolla an Ri. Photograph: Paddy Whelan

State papers: Elephant gifted to Hillery created huge headache for diplomats

Tanzania sought reimbursement for costs of shipping ‘Mimi’ to Ireland in 1980

Prime minister John Major ‘was “walking on egg shells” because of the danger of a unionist backlash to any concessions to republicans’, according to Sir John Chilcot.

Irish officials feared ‘bloody-minded element’ in Britain would stall peace process

British diplomat was told they seemed to share unionist suspicions about nationalists

The decision to move to a 20-year rule follows the precedent set by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Photograph: Frank Miller

State papers: What files are being released this week?

Government documents are now being made public after 20 years, a reduction from 30

Boris Johnson in 2004, when editor of the Spectator. In 1995 he told an Irish diplomat John Major was moving cautiously in the peace process, primarily because of the fear of unrest from the Tory backbenches or from unionist politicians. Photograph: John Giles/PA photo

Johnson gave his take on Major’s NI policy at lunch with Irish diplomat

State papers: The future British prime minister was said to have written ‘naively’ on the North

Col Muammar Gadafy, the late Libyan leader, pictured in 2009. Photograph: Reuters

‘The trouble is that Gadafy is mad’: what Haughey told Major

Then-taoiseach and British PM discussed how to respond to the Lockerbie bombing

Former taoiseach Charles Haughey was underwhelmed, to say the least, by the catering at the summit, according to State files just released by the National Archives. Photograph: Alan Betson

Haughey describes venison pâté served at lunch in Dublin Castle as a ‘disaster’

Despite the terrible trout, the summit was deemed a good-humoured success

John Major made a number of suggestions to Charles Haughey on how to advance the peace process in 1991. Photograph: PA

3:25 Don’t expect ‘sophistication’ from unionists, Haughey told Major

State papers: Ex-taoiseach floated idea of Sinn Féin peace talks 30 years ago

Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair had frequent conversations by telephone and in person. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri.

What did Bertie and Tony talk about? The weather, holidays and Chinese spies

Declassified papers show depth of relationship between former taoiseach and prime minister

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams meets US president Bill Clinton at the White House in Washington DC in February 1996. Photograph: Reuters

British officials ‘apoplectic’ at prospect of Gerry Adams visit to US

Documents also show reluctance on part of US to grant visa to Sinn Féin leader in 1994

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams leaving No 10 Downing Street after his meeting with British prime minister Tony Blair on December 11th. Photograph: Gerry Penny/AFP via Getty Images

1:09 British feared Christmas tree would give Gerry Adams ‘man of peace’ aura

UK National Archives, 1997: Sinn Féin leaders visited Downing Street at Christmas

Tony Blair: the prime minister was left ‘angry, disillusioned and betrayed’ after the murder of John Graham and David Johnston. Photograph: Adam Butler/ AP Photo

2:44 Blair doubted he could deal with Sinn Féin after RUC murders

Murders resulted in contacts between British government and Sinn Féin being severed

British ambassador Veronica Sutherland warned that historical anniversaries such as Bloody Sunday and the Famine aroused strong emotions and should be dealt with sensitively even though they may appear of ‘secondary importance’ in the UK. File photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

3:23 British ambassador, 1997: ‘Working with the Irish has never been easy’

Anglo-Irish relations beset by mistrust and misapprehension, archive files show

Then-taoiseach John Bruton at the United Nations General Assembly in June 1997. File photograph: Kathy Willens/AP Photo

1:14 ‘Violently anti-IRA’ Bruton as good a taoiseach as could be had – British

UK National Archives for 1997: Former taoiseach described as ‘nice, straightforward’

Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam wanted to write an article criticising the wrongs of all parties during the Famine. Photograph: Reuters/Corbis

Civil servants opposed Mowlam wish to write Famine article, files show

Northern Ireland secretary could detract from Blair statement of regret, officials feared

Peter Barry, Douglas Hurd, Garret Fitzgerald, Margaret Thatcher, Dick Spring and Geoffrey Howe prior to an Anglo-Irish summit in November 1984. The Maryfield secretariat operated until December 1998 to service the intergovernmental conference which was established under the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement. Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images

Maryfield fly-on-the-wall documentary nixed over unionist suspicions

State Papers: Officials believed greater transparency would only fuel conspiracy theories

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