The Good Friday Agreement (April 10, 1998)

By Grace Lawrence

The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was reached on April 10, 1998 after years of an attempt at peace after the Troubles. Though the cease-fire in 1994 attempted to stop the violence between the British and paramilitary groups, it essentially failed. After this “multiparty talks-involving representatives of Ireland, various political parties of Northern Ireland, and the British government-resumed in June 1996 and eventually culminated in the signing in Belfast on April 10, 1998, of an agreement that called for the establishment of three ‘strands’ of administrative relationships” (“Good” 2020). These three strands included “a power-sharing government in Belfast, cooperation between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and cooperation between the Republic and Britain” (Poole & Thompson 2019). In order to end sectarian violence, the agreement also addressed “three critical issues: the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, early release for prisoners and reforms to policing and security in Northern Ireland” (Poole & Thompson 2019). Although this agreement was intended to create peace and resolve sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, the people were still greatly divided, proving this to be a difficult task. In fact, “in a jointly held referendum in Ireland and Northern Ireland on May 22, 1998… the agreement was approved by 94 percent of voters in Ireland and 71 percent in Northern Ireland. However, the wide disparity between Catholics and Protestant support in Northern Ireland (96 percent of Catholics voted in favour of the agreement, but only 52 percent of Protestants did) indicated that efforts to resolve the sectarian conflict would be difficult” (“Good” 2020). Notice here that in Northern Ireland, the Protestants were less in favor of the Good Friday Agreement compared to Catholics. Furthermore, “the most severe evidence of division came just four months after the agreement was signed, in August 1998, when…the Real IRA, killed 29 people in a bombing in the town of Omagh” (“Good” 2020). In addition, “the IRA’s failure to decommission its weapons delayed the formation of the Northern Ireland Executive (a branch of the Northern Ireland Assembly), in which Sinn Fein…was to have two ministers” (“Good” 2020). As a result of this, “on December 2, 1999, the Republic of Ireland modified its constitution… [and had] the United Kingdom [yield] direct rule of Northern Ireland, new agreements between Ireland and the United Kingdom and between Ireland and Northern Ireland entered into force” (“Good” 2020).

         While the agreement sought to resolve the problems from the Troubles, it still managed to spark debate. As is seen in the video linked, many people were outraged that “the agreement promised early release for prisoners serving time for Troubles-related offences” (Poole & Thompson 2019). However, these “early releases would be dependent on paramilitary groups maintaining their ceasefire and upholding their commitment to decommissioning” (Poole & Thompson 2019). In addition, another thing that sparked debate was Gerry Adams involvement in the IRA. In Say Nothing, Keefe demonstrates how Adams refused to acknowledge his involvement with the IRA, not only because it was an illegal group, but also so that he could remain in the political field. In one instance, when Adams was giving a speech at a rally in Belfast, “someone in the crowd shouted, “Bring back the IRA!”’ and Adams replied by laughing and smiling, saying “‘They haven’t gone away, you know”’ (Keefe 230). Instances like this and many others threatened the peace because so many members of the IRA that worked with Adams felt a sense of betrayal. This could have resulted in IRA attacks to spite him and the people who refused to let the IRA disappear, such as Marian Price, who did commit some attacks later in her life. In the end, however, more people than not wished to put an end to the violence and thus the Good Friday Agreement is still in place today.

References:

Gerry Adams: Profile of outgoing SF leader. (2018, February 10). Retrieved December 15, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-40804161

Good Friday Agreement. (2020, April 3). Retrieved November 19, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Good-Friday-Agreement.

Keefe, Patrick Radden. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. Doubleday, 2019, pp. 223-348. 

Poole, R., & Thompson, S. (2019, May 16). The Good Friday Agreement. Retrieved November 19, 2020, from https://alphahistory.com/northernireland/good-friday-agreement/