The year 2023 is the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement. This significant addition to the literature is from a key Irish government insider. As head of the Anglo-Irish Secretariat at Maryfield (1995-1999), David Donoghue was at the centre of the negotiations that led to the agreement. Anyone pondering how it was achieved, and those considering political ways forward now, must read this book.
There are insights into the life of Irish public servants, the tortuous path to agreement, and detailed examination of how the content of the 1998 agreement emerged. The main parties and players are described with great care, and a spirit of generosity and open acknowledgment flows throughout. The level of perseverance is evident and the scale of personal investment by the author and those involved is staggering.
What could have been dull and legalistic has the narrative qualities of a “page turner”, as Easter 1998 draws closer. You sympathise with the participants stuck in the dreadful environment of Castle Buildings. What stands out from the process? The intensity of the intergovernmental working relationship is striking, and the attention from, for example, Bertie Ahern, Tony Blair, George Mitchell and Bill Clinton is quite something. The dedication and limitless patience required to keep people in the room commands admiration. A recurring theme is the nervousness of the chaotic UUP and its then leader, the late David Trimble. Faced with internal and external pressures, he eventually went for the deal.
The way that earlier texts shaped the agreement, the Joint Declaration and Framework Document in particular, is notable. It was not a “blank page” conversation, and that “one good day” had a backstory.
Many will read this with an eye to the present, including the chapter on Constitutional Issues. Sinn Féin being told, for example, that formal repeal of the Act of Union was unnecessary, and that the text already meant 50 per cent +1 would prevail. The sections covering Jeffrey Donaldson’s role are instructive and will attract interest. The rows over Strand Two and the evolution of Strand One are revealing.
Pessimism persisted until the final moments, but an agreement was reached. The people in these pages cared and often took great personal risks. We should be thankful to them that they did and to the author for sharing his own personal and professional journey.
Colin Harvey is a professor in the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast
