The newly released State Papers relating to the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s illuminate the multiple difficulties associated with bringing the Troubles to an end. In 1983, the British ambassador in Ireland, Alan Goodison, suggested there was “a raw nerve which never sleeps” in Anglo-Irish relations. A memorandum from that year by Seán Donlon, the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, noted “the inadequacy of the unilateral British approach” to Northern Ireland. Given that in recent weeks legal action has been launched against the Irish State on behalf of some bereaved families over its alleged failure to carry out an “effective investigation” into those bombings, these State papers are clearly relevant to issues that remain contentious and unresolved. Given the consequences of that dark era it remains incumbent on us to understand the depth of the challenges encountered, and the shadows the legacies still cast.

Source: The Irish Times December 29, 2025 23:45 UTC