06/27/07 12:51 EST
BROWN IN - BLAIR OUT
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance minister) Gordon Brown has taken over the British Prime Ministership from Tony Blair who resigned this afternoon. Mr. Brown promised "a new government with new priorities," following a meeting at Buckingham Palace during which Queen Elizabeth asked him to form a new government in the traditional transfer of power. Mr Blair submitted his resignation to the queen during a 25-minute closed-door meeting at Buckingham Palace. He is now expected to resign as an MP to take up his post with the Quartet of Mideast peace mediators. The Quartet consists of the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union.
06/26/07 14:44 EST
AHERN DISAPPOINTED WITH FINUCANE DECISION
Irish premier Bertie Ahern has said it is a "disappointing development" that no one is to be prosecuted in connection with the murder of Belfast human rights attorney Pat Finucane. Responding to questions in the Dáil (Irish Lower House of parliament) today, Mr Ahern noted that the North's Public Prosecution Service (PPS) had found insufficient evidence to prosecute any former or serving British soldier, RUC or PSNI officer as a result of the report of the Stevens inquiry. He said the Irish Government's view was that there should be an independent judicial inquiry into Mr Finucane's murder and that it had been its "long-standing position".
06/20/07 13:29 EST
ORANGEMEN CLASH WITH PARADES COMMISSION
Orangemen in Northern Ireland revealed new plans tonight to pressurize parades chiefs into ending Northern Ireland's most bitter marching dispute. Representatives from the loyal order in Portadown, where the 10-year-old Drumcree row remains unresolved, insisted they were ready to hold face to face talks with nationalist residents opposed to their campaign. They accused the Parades Commission of doing nothing to advance their proposals to meet under an independent chairman in a bid to finally settle the row.
Full Story
06/14/07 10:50 EST
TAOISEACH ELECTED TO THIRD TERM OF OFFICE
Bertie Ahern has received his seal of office from Irish President Mary McAleese at Áras an Úachtaráin after being elected Taoiseach for a third successive term. At the first meeting of the 30th Dáil this afternoon, a vote to elect the Taoiseach saw Mr Ahern receiving 89 votes to Enda Kenny's 76. He is now the first Taoiseach since Eamon De Valera to win three elections in a row. He will lead a three-party coalition, including Fianna Fail, the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats, for the next five years.
06/11/07 11:33 EST
PATTEN REVIEWS PROGRESS IN BELFAST
The architect of sweeping police reforms in Northern Ireland has warned he is ready to kick up a stink if the British Treasury does not deliver on a new GBP£130 million (USD$256 million) recruit training college. Lord Patten, whose commission drew up the blueprint for transforming the old Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), also urged British Finance minister Gordon Brown to make financing a state-of-the-art academy a priority on becoming British Prime Minister. As he returned to Belfast, the former British Governor of Hong Kong spoke of the overhaul to the police force in the eight years since he delivered his dossier for change. He praised the decision by Sinn Fein to endorse the police service in Northern Ireland, but wished republican support had come sooner. Even though 140 of the 175 recommendations made by his commission in 1999 have been completed, uncertainty still hangs over a replacement for the Garnerville training facilities in east Belfast.
06/01/07 10:43 EST
QUEEN VISITS NORTHERN IRELAND
Queen Elizabeth 11 and the Duke of Edinburgh have arrived in Northern Ireland. They have attended a garden party at the University of Ulster in Coleraine. The Queen mingled with garden party guests on the university campus today. Amid blazing sunshine, the gathering, hosted by Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain, drew 2,000 people including the Northern Ireland First Minister, Ian Paisley and his wife Baroness Paisley. The Queen unveiled a plaque to mark her return to the campus.
05/31/07 10:34 EST
SINN FEIN ATTENDS FIRST POLICE BOARD MEETING
Sinn Fein has taken its seats on the Policing Board for the first time. Alex Maskey, Martina Anderson and Daithi McKay represent the party, which voted in January to back police in Northern Ireland for the first time. A fourth party member, former Derry Mayor Gearoid O hEara was appointed as an independent member of the board by Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain. The 19 members of the authority, which holds Police Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde to account, gathered in private at its Belfast headquarters today to hold elections to the body's top positions. Top of the agenda was the appointment of the chair and vice chair, and the board re-elected Prof Desmond Rea as its chairman and Barry Gilligan as its vice chairman.
05/25/07 08:16 EST
POLICE OFFICERS REJECT COLLUSION REPORT AGAIN
Retired police officers have passed a vote of no confidence in Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan, it has been revealed. They are angry about a report published earlier this year which linked members of the Police Force to collusion with loyalist paramilitaries responsible for at least 10 murders in north Belfast. They have highlighted a police investigation into leaks surrounding the report which may have broken the Official Secrets Act. The chairman of the Retired Police Officers` Association, David Turkington, said his members held the gravest concerns. "The incompetence and ambitions of the Ombudsman`s Office are damaging not only to our members` peace of mind and public reputations but also to our national security, a matter of some concern to us," he said.
05/19/07 08:36 EST
DUP WILL VETO IRISH LANGUAGE ACT
The DUP will veto an Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland, one of its senior members has stated. Gregory Campbell, MLA for East Londonderry and one of Ian Paisley`s closest associates, said there needed to be more money for the development of Ulster-Scots. An act is a key demand from Irish language advocates who feel it deserves the protection granted to other minority languages across Europe.
05/17/07 13:21 EST
REPUBLICANS WILL COOPERATE WITH OMAGH INQUIRY
Republicans are prepared to co-operate with any independent, international inquiry into the Omagh bomb atrocity, Sinn Fein has confirmed. Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, the Deputy First Minister at Stormont, made the pledge as victims' relatives intensified their campaign for a cross-border probe. The assistance would be to help expose alleged Police Service of Northern Ireland incompetence and claims that officers knew of the attack in advance, Mr McGuinness claimed. He said: "Republicans would be only too glad to co-operate with any independent, international investigation into the bomb explosion, because we think the PSNI themselves have questions to answer. There`s a very strong belief within Irish Republicanism that the PSNI not alone failed to investigate the Omagh bomb properly, but the RUC actually knew about the bomb before it took place."
It has been alleged that a British Intelligence agent was aware of the plan to bomb Omagh and relayed that information to the authorities at the time. There was speculation that the information was not acted upon in order to protect the identity of the British Agent. Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan severely criticized the PSNI investigation into the case. At the time of her report, the then Police Chief Constable, Ronnie Flanagan, stated that he would take his own life if O'Loan's allegations were true. The families of some of the 29 people murdered in the dissident Real IRA bombing viewed Mr McGuinness`s declaration as a significant advancement on Sinn Fein`s previous position on the bombing.
05/17/07 09:24 EST
AHERN RULES OUT COALITION WITH SINN FEIN
Irish premier Bertie Ahern and Irish Minster for Defence Willie O'Dea said today Fianna Fáil would not go into coalition with Sinn Féin after the Irish general election. When asked by reporters at the party's arts manifesto launch whether Fianna Fáil form a government with Sinn Féin, Mr Ahern shook his head and said: "No. No". Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea has said he would rather go into opposition than enter a government with Sinn Féin. Speaking at a Fianna Fáil press conference in Dublin, Mr O'Dea said the party would discuss numbers on any possible coalition after the May 24th election with "anybody but Sinn Féin".
05/15/07 13:49 EST
AHERN ADDRESSES BOTH HOUSES AT WESTMINISTER
Last week's restoration of devolved government at Stormont marks "the dawning of a new era" for the island of Ireland and for Anglo-Irish relations, Irish premier Bertie Ahern told British parliamentarians today. Mr Ahern became the first Irish head of government to speak at the Palace of Westminster as he addressed a joint session of both Houses of Parliament in the Royal Gallery today. Among those present were British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom the Taoiseach hailed as "a true friend of Ireland (who) has an honored place in Irish hearts and in Irish history", and his predecessor Sir John Major, whom he praised for the "courageous early steps" he took in the peace process. Mr Ahern said the Belfast Agreement had delivered peace and promise to Ireland by accommodating the rights, the interests and the legitimate aspirations of all. He said that, after centuries characterized by division, conflict and resistance, "ours must and will be the last generation to feel the pain and anger of old quarrels."
05/13/07 17:41 EST
SINN FEIN TO TAKE POLICE BOARD SEATS
Sinn Fein is going to take up its seats on the Northern Ireland Policing Board, the party has confirmed. The party ruling executive met in Dublin yesterday and cleared the way for three members of the Sinn Fein Assembly party to take their sets when the board meets next month. Martina Anderson is among the party nominees. A former IRA prisoner, she is now an Assembly member of the Foyle and Derry constituency and was director of Sinn Fein`s engagement with unionists. The others are Alex Maskey, who was the first Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Belfast and North Antrim MLA Daithi McKay.
05/11/07 05:17 EST
AHERN AND PAISLEY VISIT BOYNE SITE
Irish premier Bertie Ahern today welcomed Northern Ireland's First Minister Ian Paisley to the symbolic Battle of the Boyne site. Massive security surrounded the historic visit to the most celebrated battlefield in Protestant folklore deep inside the Irish Republic. Ministers from both the Dublin and Belfast administrations were shown around an Irish taxpayer-funded 15 million euro center at Oldbridge House, Co Meath, marking the 1690 clash. Mr Ahern greeted Dr Paisley and his wife Eileen outside the 17th century estate home before both leaders signed a visitors book. Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said the visit typified the incredible thawing of relations between Dr Paisley and the Republic. "You wouldn`t believe the sigh of relief people have that this has finally happened. People really still don`t understand it - that it has happened so easily," he said.
05/10/07 18:56 EST
WATER CHARGES WILL NOT BE INTRODUCED - ASSEMBLY
Proposed new water charges will not be introduced in 2007-2008, Northern Ireland First Minister Ian Paisley has said. The GBP£75m (USD148,600,000) cost of the move will be paid for from extra funds negotiated from British Chancellor Gordon Brown. The decision was taken as the new power-sharing executive met for the first time at Stormont in Belfast. Mr Paisley said the executive had decided to conduct a review to address financing water and sewerage services, to be completed by the fall. He said not imposing the charges would save the average Northern Ireland household GBP£100 in the year ahead. At the meeting ministers also reviewed public spending priorities for the year ahead, the proposed program for government and the legislative program.
05/10/07 05:39 EST
BLAIR TO RESIGN ON JUNE 27 - TRIBUTES FROM NORTH POLITICIANS
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced his decision to stand down as leader of the Labour Party. Mr Blair confirmed his intentions at this morning's regular cabinet meeting in 10 Downing Street and has arrived at his Sedgefield constituency near Newcastle where he made his long-awaited public announcement. "I've been prime minister of this country for just over 10 years," Blair told party members in Trimdon in his northern England constituency. "I think that's long enough, not only for me, but also for the country and sometimes the only way you conquer the pull of power is to set it down." Politicians in Northern Ireland have been paying tribute to Mr. Blair. Mr Blair has visited the North 37 times in the past ten years, said he would resign on 27 June.
05/08/07 06:17 EST
DEVOLUTION RETURNS TO NORTHERN IRELAND
Northern Ireland has a new power-sharing government at Stormont.
DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness took office as first and deputy first minister as five years of direct rule from London ended. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were in the visitors' gallery of Parliament Buildings, Stormont, this morning to witness the creation of a powersharing government led by political polar opposites. It is the first time that Northern Ireland will be run by a government in which all the main nationalist and unionist parties have agreed to operate power together. "In politics as in life, it is a truism that no one can ever have 100 per cent of what they desire. They must make a verdict when they believe they have achieved enough to move things forward," Dr Paisley said. He said Sinn Fein's acceptance of the rule of law met that test. "Support for all the institutions of policing has been a critical test that today has been met and pledged, word and deed. Recognising the significance of that change from a community that for decades demonstrated hostility for policing has been critical in turning the corner." Earlier he heralded "a new beginning" for the North. "I believe we're starting on a road which will bring us back to peace and prosperity."
05/07/07 11:50 EST
HAIN SIGNS DEVOLUTION ORDER FOR NORTH
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain today signed the order paving the way for a new era of powersharing in Northern Ireland. Mr Hain approved the restoration order, enabling the Assembly to meet tomorrow to appoint a new multi-party government of unionists and nationalists. Democratic Unionist leader the Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness will be officially installed as the joint head of the new administration. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Prime Minister Tony Blair will be among guests who will witness Mr Paisley and Mr McGuinness taking the oath to become First and Deputy First ministers.
05/06/07 10:43 EST
DEVOLUTION HERE TO STAY PREDICTS HAIN
Devolution will be here to stay when it returns to Northern Ireland, Peter Hain predicted today. As he prepared to sign the restoration order allowing DUP leader Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness to head up a new devolved administration at Stormont on Tuesday, the Northern Ireland Secretary was confident once they assumed power there would be no return to direct rule from Westminster. "I really believe that after devolution day it would be as unthinkable for direct rule to be re-imposed on Northern Ireland as it would be for Scotland and Wales," he said. "I believe the transformation is now so firm and the preparations for government by the DUP and Sinn Fein are so deep and practical that Northern Ireland is set for permanent devolved government. I`m not saying there will not be the odd bump and hiccup after Tuesday. That is to be expected. It is the meat and drink of any government in any part of the world. However I`m convinced that the foundations have been laid and the concrete is set. I`m confident about the prospect of permanent devolution."
05/05/07 10:27 EST
ADAMS HAILS LEGACY OF HUNGER-STRIKERS
The IRA hunger strikers who died in jail left a lasting legacy in the Irish peace process, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said today. Just days before his party enters a new power-sharing administration with unionists in Belfast, Mr Adams addressed a commemoration in Dublin marking the 26th anniversary of Bobby Sands` death. Sands was one of 10 republicans who starved themselves to death inside the Maze Prison in 1981 during a struggle for political prisoner status. At a Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, Mr Adams emphazised the special place those men still hold in the hearts of many. The West Belfast MP said: "The enduring legacy of the hunger strikers is to be found all around us. Like the Easter Rising 66 years earlier, it marked a watershed in modern Irish history. The political growth of Sinn Fein and of Irish republicanism is in no small measure a result of their courage." Mr Adams added: "But more importantly, their legacy is to be found in the peace process and the positive transformation it has brought about in Irish society in recent years. That process of change continues."
05/04/07 03:33 EST
McALEESE ADDRESSES AMERICAN-IRELAND FUND DINNER
Irish President Mary McAleese has said there is a "hint of the miraculous" about the agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP to share power. Speaking at the American Ireland Fund gala dinner in New York, she said "old sworn enemies" would head the new administration in Northern Ireland. Her comments come just days ahead of the expected return of devolution to Northern Ireland on 8 May. Mrs McAleese also urged loyalist paramilitaries to decommission.
05/03/07 03:59 EST
UVF DECLARES END TO ARMED CAMPAIGN OF TERROR
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) has issued a statement declaring an end to its armed campaign and saying it will assume a non-military, 'civilianised' role from midnight tonight. Recruitment, military training and targeting have stopped and all its so-called active service units de-activated, the leadership claimed. With British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Republic`s Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Belfast next Tuesday for the restoration of the power-sharing government at Stormont, today`s declaration effectively called an end to a campaign by one of the deadliest and most feared terrorist groups in Northern Ireland. It followed a series of meetings by its political representatives with Mr Ahern, the chief constable Sir Hugh Orde and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain. A statement read out by one of the UVF`s founding members, convicted murderer Gusty Spence, said: "We have taken the above measures in an earnest attempt to augment the return of accountable democracy to the people of Northern Ireland and, as such, to engender confidence that the constitutional question has now been firmly settled."
05/01/07 23:55 EST
AHERN UNDER PRESSURE OVER FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
Irish premier Bertie Ahern was tonight stoutly defended by his Coalition partner over a payments controversy that has dogged his general election campaign. Mr Ahern yesterday strongly denied allegations from the Mahon Tribunal that he received IR£80,000 (USD$140,000) from Co Cork businessman Owen O`Callaghan. He also insisted that €44,000 (USD$57,000) given to his ex-partner Celia Larkin in 1994 for refurbishment of his rented house in north Dublin, was "entirely appropriate". The Taoiseach`s deputy premier, Progressive Democrats leader Michael McDowell today said he had received sufficient clarification on the issue following a private briefing given to him by Mr Ahern in the past. The allegations were due to be aired at the Mahon Tribunal, which is probing planning corruption, but it postponed its hearings when the general election was called on Sunday.
24 04/29/07 03:02 EST
IRISH GENERAL ELECTION SET FOR MAY
Irish premier Bertie Ahern has set Thursday May 24th as the date for the general election in the Republic of Ireland. Weeks of speculation over when the Election will be held are finally over. He went to Áras an Uachtaráin (Official residence of teh President) this morning to seek the dissolution of the 29th dail (parliament) from the President Mary Mcaleese. The President then left the Aras for a week-long trip to the US.
04/26/07 03:23 EST
PAISLEY TO MAKE BOYNE VISIT WITH AHERN
Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, will visit the site of the Battle of the Boyne together next month, it has been confirmed. The pair will make the trip to the most celebrated historic battlefield in Protestant folklore three days after Mr Paisley takes up his new post as Northern Ireland`s First Minister. The Democratic Unionist Party leader is due to share power with Sinn Fein in a restored Stormont executive on May 8.
Read the full stories at The Irish American Information Service
Paisley and Adams statements
Ian Paisley:
"After a long and difficult time in the province, I believe that enormous opportunities lie ahead for Northern Ireland. Devolution has never been an end in itself but is about making a positive difference to people`s lives. I want to make it clear that I am committed to delivering not only for those who voted for the DUP but for all the people of Northern Ireland. We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future. In looking to that future, we must never forget those who have suffered during the dark period from which we are, please God, emerging. We owe it to them to craft and build the best future possible and ensure there is genuine support for those who are still suffering."
Full text of both statements
Gerry Adams
"We have all come a very long way in the process of peace making and national reconciliation. We are very conscious of the many people who have suffered. We owe it to them to build the best future possible. It is a time for generosity, a time to be mindful of the common good and of the future of all our people. I am pleased to say that collectively we have created the potential to build a new, harmonious and equitable relationship between nationalists and republicans and unionists, as well as the rest of the people of the island of Ireland.
9 March 2007
Results of NI Elections
| Party | % | +/- | Seats | +/- | Party | % | +/- | Seats | +/- | |
| DUP | 30,1 | +4,4 | 36 | +6 | UKUP | 1,5 | +0,7 | 0 | -1 | |
| SF | 26,2 | +2,6 | 28 | +4 | Con | 0,5 | +0,3 | 0 | 0 | |
| UUP | 14,9 | -7,7 | 18 | -9 | SEA | 0,3 | 0,0 | 0 | 0 | |
| SDLP | 15,2 | -1,8 | 16 | -2 | UKIP | 0,2 | +0,2 | 0 | ||
| AP | 5,2 | +1,6 | 7 | +1 | PBP | 0,1 | +0,1 | 0 | ||
| GP | 1,7 | +1,4 | 1 | +1 | OTH | 3,2 | +0,4 | 1 | 0 | |
| PUP | 0,6 | -0,6 | 1 | 0 |
22 Jan 2007
Profound Regret from Blair after Collusion Report Published See full text
Northern Ireland Police Special Branch officers colluded with loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) gang members responsible for many murders in Belfast during the 1990s, according to a report compiled by Police Ombudsman (watchdog) Nuala O'Loan. The report follows an investigation, codenamed "Operation Ballast", which was begun following representations by Raymond McCord. His son, Raymond McCord jnr, was murdered in 1997, allegedly on the orders of the head of the UVF's Mount Vernon unit.
According to the report, published this morning, a number of senior officers -including two retired assistant chief constables, seven detective chief superintendents and two detective superintendents - refused to provide an explanation of police Special Branch and CID internal practices during the period in question. The report found that others, including some serving officers in the PSNI, gave "evasive, contradictory, and on occasion farcical answers to questions".
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However, although files have been sent to the DPP following the investigation, it is understood a recommendation has been made that no charges should be brought against any
officers. Mr McCord said his family were disappointed that prosecutions were not recommended and said he would continue his family's fight to for justice. Mr McCord said: "This report is not the end of our struggle to get justice for young Raymond. It is the means by which we can go forward to get justice and uncover the truth so that these horrible deeds will never be allowed to happen again."
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He also urged Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams not to endorse the PSNI in light of the report's findings.
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The report says that the police investigation into the murder of Catholic taxi driver Sharon McKenna (27) in January 1993 "had the effect of protecting Informant 1 from possible prosecution."
"This is collusion," the report adds.
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Northern Secretary Peter Hain acknowledged this morning that the report made "extremely uncomfortable reading" but insisted that policing in Northern Ireland had now changed.
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A spokesman for Tony Blair expressed the Prime Minister's "profound regret" but urged the poeple of Northern Ireland to support the PSNI, saying the collusion had happened in the past. "This is a deeply disturbing report about events which were totally wrong and which should never have happened. What matters at this stage is that the whole community supports that process of transformation," the statement said.
14 Jan 2007
Sinn Féin Policing Motion to Ard Fheis See full text
13 Jan 2007
Gerry Adams:
Irish republicans and nationalists want, need and deserve proper and accountable policing. On Thursday, December 28, I said that I believe that Irish republicans need now to take the necessary next step on policing -- that it is the right thing to do. This was the position I put to today's meeting. In response, the Sinn Fein Ard Chomhairle today took the historic and courageous decision to proceed to an Ard Fheis on policing despite the failure of the DUP to respond positively. If the Ard Fheis adopts the proposed motion then we will have the potential, for the first time ever, for the full involvement by Irish republicans in policing structures across the island.
Full text
New Year's Message
Ian Paisley:
The DUP has put the rule of law to the top of the political agenda. Whilst for years others avoided addressing this matter, I ensured that it became a matter central to any resolution of a political settlement. I am certain that the movement by Sinn Fein is the result of the DUP's determination to press home this matter. However words are not enough. It is deeds that count, and the fact that between October and December 2006 there have been no deeds, and that for the next three weeks we must await the outcome of a Sinn Fein party conference on policing, reduces the prospect of any immediate action. Sinn Fein's begrudging movement will only serve to delay opportunities available to us in the incoming months of 2007.
Full text
16 Oct 2006
Documents released after talks at St Andrews
29 June 2006
BRITISH AND IRISH GOVERNMENTS' JOINT STATEMENT
Statement by the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach
Stormont 29 June 2006
1. We met today with the parties to review progress towards the restoration of devolved institutions in Northern Ireland by November and to discuss the way ahead. While the Assembly has reconvened in recent weeks we note the disappointment and frustration across Northern Ireland at the inability to move more quickly beyond procedural issues.
2. It is absolutely clear that if devolution is to be restored by the 24 November deadline then the parties will need to engage with greater urgency and determination to reach agreement. If the political will exists then we believe the very few issues which remain to be resolved can be satisfactorily addressed in that timescale.
3. In order to facilitate resolution of these issues, and as envisaged in our statement of 6 April, the Assembly will continue its work in the autumn. Given the urgent need to make rapid progress, we urged the parties to make full use of the summer period to continue work at Committee level so that the Assembly can get down to preparing for Government when it reconvenes in September. In order to assist work in the autumn, we have published today a work plan (below) and an indicative timetable for full restoration. Above all, we hope that parties will use the summer to consult their members and their communities on the way forward. The parties need to weigh in the balance any outstanding issues and any lingering mistrust against the prospect of losing devolution for another generation.
4. We were clear when we met in Armagh that people in Northern Ireland are impatient for progress and will not tolerate a political process which stretches out indefinitely. We are convinced that November is the outer limit of an acceptable timeframe. Failure to meet that deadline would be a failure which will put the Assembly in cold storage from 24 November. That would be very regrettable, but everyone accepts that an Assembly subsidised by the public which is not serving its community through active government is simply not sustainable. In this context, we also took the opportunity today to review progress on new partnership arrangements that would need to be put in place to ensure our effective joint stewardship of the Good Friday Agreement in the event that devolution does not take place by 24 November. This work continues.
5. The key to real political progress is genuine and frank political engagement from all sides on the outstanding issues. That conviction is as strong following our discussions today as it has ever been. We look forward to all concerned intensifying their efforts in the period ahead so that fully-restored institutions can become a reality. The issues that really matter to the people of Northern Ireland can best be addressed by the elected politicians working.
Irish Proclamation of Freedom Read by Patrick Pearse from the Steps of the General Post Office, Dublin, Ireland on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916
The Irish Government, June 1997:
Bloody Sunday and the Report of the Widgery Tribunal
Full text of the Good Friday Agreement, April 10, 1998.
Investigation into the human rights in Northern Ireland, September 29, 1998
Statement by Rosemary Nelson, solicitor for Garvaghy Road residents
Nobel Peace Price Award, December 11, 1998:
Nobel Address by David Trimble, First Minister and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
Nobel Address by John Hume, leader of the catholic SDLP
George Mitchell's Peace Principles, November 1999:
Statements of November 16 and 17, 1999, by Ulster Unionist Party, Sinn Féin, Progressive Unionist Party and IRA
Patten Report: A new beginning: Policing in Northern Ireland, Sep. 1999
George Mitchell's statement, November 18, 1999
Suspension of Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive. February 2000:
Decommissioning reports, Mandelson in House of Commons, IRA statements
Peace process resumed. May 2000
British-Irish joint statement and IRA statement.
Inspection of IRA weapons dumps, June 2000
Arms inspector's report
Abortion Referendum March 7, 2002
IRA Statement on Decommissioning April 8, 2002
Speech by Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, at the Harbour Commisssioners' Offices in Belfast, 17 October 2002.
The murder of Patrick Finucane, 19 February 1989:
Sir John Stevens: Stevens Enquiry, 17 April 2003
Justice Peter Cory: Cory Collusion Inquiry Report, 1 April 2004
Independent International Commission on Decommissioning
Report, October 23, 2001
Report, April 8, 2002
Report, October 21, 2003
Report, September 26, 2005 - Confirming complete decommissioning
Joint statement by the British and Irish governments
Programme for reaching a normal security end-state by April 2005
Joint declaration by the British and the Irish governments, May 2003
Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC):
First report - May 2004
Second report - July 2004
Third report - November 2004
Fourth report - February 2005
Fifth report - May 2005
Sixth report - September 2005
Seventh report - October 2005
Eighth report - February 2006
Ninth report - March 2006
Tenth report - April 2006
Eleventh report - September 2006
Twelfth report - October 2006
Thirteenth report - January 2007
Fourteenth report - March 2007
Fifteenth report - April 2007
Work Programme of the Irish Presidency, 2004.
Alledged Collusion in Sectarian Killings, Oct. 2006.
The Ballast Report, Statement by the Police Ombudsman into the curcumstances surrounding the death of Raymond McCord Junior and related matters, Jan. 2007.
An Irish bookshop: Read Ireland
Wesley Johnston's History of Ireland
The CAIN Project (The Northern Ireland Conflict)
The Bloody Sunday Inquiry
Independenr Monitoring Commission Sinn Féin Homepage
The Irish Times
I started reading about Ireland and about its history in order to understand just a bit of the Irish paradoxes. Although I started from the very beginning the matter was still incomprehensible. I therefore began to write down the headlines in Danish.
In 1998 when I got my own website I wondered what to put there. My family, my career or my garden could not attract much attention. But my Danish survey of the history of Ireland would be different from most other websites, so I uploaded the whole story.
I considered my web-project to be complete by then. However the beginning of 1998 was to become a turning point in the history of Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement created optimism and a new hope of lasting peace. I therefore added new chapters on the peace agreement and on the ups and downs since then. Obviously there is still a way to go before a real peace has been achieved and right now I can't see the end of my project.
A lot of people wrote to me asking for details or references. This has proved the need for a brief Danish version of the history of Ireland. In 2001 more than 50 persons on the average have been visiting my website every day.
However about 10 % of the visitors on my website are non-Scandinavians. I have added this page in order to serve these people with some information about my project and with some of the important references.
I considered reference documents and speeches most interesting in the original English language. I also have to admit that a proper translation of the documents to Danish is not that simple. On the other hand the number of visitors to the reference pages in English has been very limited. Therefore all information in English will be concentrated in this English section of my website together with selected news.
I have no intention of making an English version of the whole story. I have neither the ability nor the capacity to write in English and several excellent sites already offer that sort of information.
E-mail me your comments and questions
Ireland History in Maps
North West Ireland - Gaoth Dobhair
The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland
BLOODY SUNDAY 26 Years On ...
BBC News Bloody Sunday Inquiry
CAIN Web Service 'Bloody Sunday', Derry 30 January 1972
Ulster Unionist Party
The Irish Republican Socialist Party
Fine Gael
Ulster Democratic Unionist Party, DUP
Fianna Fáil
The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
Progressive Unionist Party
Ulster Nation
The Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Wild Geese (USA) Irish soldiers in exile
Visit Danish Irish Society
December 16, 2001 Top
Since my first visit to Ireland the history of Ireland was a puzzle to me. Why has this beautiful country with its charming and hospitable population become the arena of a never-ending conflict? Differences in religion, language, race or culture gave no reasonable explanation. Which coincidence has caused so much suffering in Ireland while other countries such as Denmark had nothing but trifles to quarrel about?