State Papers: What we learned, from details of Boris Yeltsin’s Shannon no-show to Ireland’s lost moon rock
Dublin’s archive material is focused on 1994 - ‘a pivotal year for politicians, the Catholic Church and Anglo-Irish affairs’
State Papers
Bob Geldof warned Tony Blair that failing to support Africans at home would mean upheaval in West
Singer and campaigner wanted ‘Marshall Plan’ for Africa with ‘age-defining document’ to redefine relations
Irish anti-Semitism claims ‘false, irresponsible and mischievous’, said Jewish community in 1944
Community lived on ‘terms of closest friendship’ with fellow citizens, noted Jewish representative council
Albert Reynolds tried to justify appointment of controversial attorney-general Whelehan to High Court
Intervention in X case and lack of action on extradition warrant for paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth among issues that marked Whelehan’s term
Ireland’s priceless moon rock from Apollo landing was destroyed in a fire
US gifted second piece of moon rock after final moon mission, which is now in National Museum
Fears new UK citizenship ceremonies with flags could damage NI community relations
Blair-era pledge of giving ‘my loyalty to the United Kingdom’ faced concerns in wake of Belfast Agreement
Young John F Kennedy ‘belittled’ Irish unification in meeting with diplomats
Future president felt Ireland was ‘not too badly off’ and was apathetic towards partition
Swimming pool problems for Ireland’s Vatican ambassador sparked sharp criticism
Embassy official issued rebuke after technical issues left pool out of action one week out of every four
US considered abandoning airport pre-clearance after ‘Shannon stopover’ ended
Flood of Irish fans heading for 1994 World Cup added urgency to negotiations on the issue
Assembly elections postponement ‘the biggest single setback in years’, Sinn Féin warned
The unreasonableness of David Trimble’s behaviour sometimes obscured the reasonableness of his argument, said Tony Blair
Sinn Féin accused of ‘simplistic’ claim that inequality the cause of North’s community difficulties
Party ignored ‘many other’ factors including ‘violent conflict that resulted in over 3,000 deaths’
Peace process prisoner releases prompted warning that not all would become ‘good guys’, State papers show
British NI minister noted ‘legitimate concerns’ that released prisoners could end up teaching children of their victims
Schoolchildren at Holy Cross and Shankill traumatised by harassment and feuds in early 2000s
UDA factional feud had impact in strongly loyalist area at same time as north Belfast Catholic children faced attack
Peace process prisoner releases prompted warning that not all would become ‘good guys’, State papers show
British NI minister noted ‘legitimate concerns’ that released prisoners could end up teaching children of their victims
Trimble and Mallon feared DUP ministers would not honour Executive confidentiality
Peter Robinson and Nigel Dodds refused to attend Executive meetings due to objections to SF’s McGuinness and de Brún
John Bruton believed nationalists were not properly represented by Sinn Féin or SDLP
New taoiseach caused concern as IRA grappled with ceasefire and decommissioning decisions, papers show
Albert Reynolds clashed with banks over call for more small business funding
Taoiseach criticised excessive profitability of lenders, prompting accusation of ‘anti-bank sentiment’
Narrow Water Bridge: £500,000 proposal was turned down in 1970s before rocketing to €100m
NI official found proposal ‘most attractive’ for tourism but ‘cannot see money being available for this’ in 1975
Roger Casement told own defence team ‘black diaries’ were a forgery
British government leaked the diaries to sway public opinion over Casement after his arrest for treason
Northern Ireland’s construction industry was ‘rotten’ with paramilitary links, officials told
IRA and Loyalist paramilitaries were able to ‘cream off’ millions through extortion rackets
How Sinn Féin came in from the cold: British state’s changing attitude to republicans tracked over time
Arrival of Sinn Féin members as elected representatives in 1980s met with caution and secrecy by officials
Irish officials requested that inward investment be kept out of North-South co-operation
During final, critical negotiations ahead of 1998 Belfast Agreement, Dublin officials were ‘clearly under pressure’ from IDA, NI civil service noted
‘Show some respect’, Brian Cowen told Gerry Adams in furious Belfast meeting, records show
Kidnapping of dissident Tohill in 2004 heightened tensions, with McDowell comparing Sinn Féin to Nazis
DFA helped Irish people find family in Australia in days before online communication
Emigrants sometimes lost touch with relatives who had no way to contact them
Nazi film Triumph of the Will shown in Dublin’s Olympia in 1935 - and removed overnight due to threats
Department of Justice feared communists in Ireland would target film’s screening
Nationalists feel ‘sense of ease’ when they travel south, Dick Spring told
Residents of Dunloy village, north Antrim, suffered sectarian abuse and oppressive policing
Government wrestled with Mary Robinson’s plan to make historic first visit to Queen Elizabeth II
President signalled intention in newspaper interview, to the consternation of taoiseach Albert Reynolds
Ireland was offered secret meeting with Iranian president over Brian Keenan hostage situation
Belfast man kidnapped by Islamic Jihad in 1986 in Beirut during Lebanese civil war
Trimble blocked Tourism Ireland campaign in Britain, records show
Unionist leader objected to Britain being designated part of ‘overseas’ market
Attempts to build Irish arms industry failed due to concerns over neutrality and misuse by rogue regimes
Dutch company Eurometaal NV planned shell factory in Ireland, but Brian Lenihan was ‘extremely dubious’
US attorney general believed IRA tried to buy weapons after 1994 ceasefire, State papers reveal
Bill Clinton overruled objections to let Gerry Adams fundraise – and to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in White House
US ambassador said Ireland was a den of German and Axis spies during second World War
State Papers: Beleaguered Irish legation in Washington briefed that German and Italian embassies only had six staff
Irish officials thought proposed Anglo-Irish talks chair was ‘bitchy’, ‘petulant’ and ‘widely disliked’
Former House of Commons speaker was a ‘Welsh Uncle Tom’, Foreign Affairs note records
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