Richard Ryan

An Irish diplomat who went to Tripoli in the wake of the discovery of a huge arsenal of Libyan arms destined for the IRA was met with claims that Irel(...)

Among the most controversial politicians of 1988 was then British attorney general Patrick Mayhew. On January 20th that year, Irish diplomat Richard R(...)

Charles Haughey was a “dreadful person” who “seized every opportunity to get under the Border”, an influential Tory backbencher fumed at an Irish dipl(...)

Northern Ireland was at its “greatest moment of peril” because its political leaders were no match for the Dublin government, a close personal friend (...)

That the official records from the Department of the Taoiseach and of Foreign Affairs for 1988 are becoming available only now after 30 years leaves t(...)

A furious British prime minister Margaret Thatcher rounded on taoiseach Charles Haughey for delays in extraditing Fr Patrick Ryan – an Irish priest wa(...)

Margaret Thatcher’s chief legal adviser was prepared “to send the police into 10 Downing Street” over an alleged shoot-to-kill policy by Northern Irel(...)

Throughout 1988 Anglo-Irish relations seemed vulnerable to a surprise ambush. Taoiseach Charles Haughey and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher w(...)

Margaret Thatcher’s chief legal adviser woke from heart surgery screaming “we must kill” Ian Paisley, newly-declassified files reveal. Documents mark(...)

In a simple ceremony on the edge of Lough Tay, the ashes of Garech Browne, art collector, patron of the arts, and a Guinness heir, were poured into it(...)