The Anglo-Irish Agreement

Archival news reports following the reaction to the Anglo-Irish Agreement from 1985 to 1986.

This series of over seventy news items from the archives of Ulster Television provides a timeline of the explosive events in Northern Ireland between October 1985 and December 1986. Margaret Thatcher had tried a new angle in the attempts to bring peace to Northern Ireland's then sixteen year conflict. The Anglo-Irish Agreement she signed with the Taoiseach of the Irish Republic, Dr Garret FitzGerald, set up various cross-border bodies and enabled a greater degree of cooperation between the British and Irish governments in the bid to tackle cross-border terrorism. However, it did not go down well with the Unionist politicians and community.

Reaction to the Agreement from the two main Uninionist parties was immediately condemnatory. The Official Unionist Party, led by James Molyneaux, and the Democratic Unionist Party, led by Ian Paisley, joined forces in opposition and vowed to bring down the Agreement. A poster blitz of the iconic 'Ulster Says No' slogan swept across the country and mass rallies were held. At the Belfast City Hall in November 1985, Ian Paisley made his famous, 'Never! Never! Never! Never!' speech.

Unionist opposition evolved over the course of a year in which tensions were high. All Unionist MPs resigned their Westminster seats to force by-elections in order to gauge public opinion at the ballot box. Unionist-led councils refused to set rates in order to bring down local government. And a twenty-four hour loyalist strike was called to bring Northern Ireland to a standstill for a day.

As the year progressed, tensions emerged between the two Unionist parties as the DUP became associated with protests which strayed into the realms of violence, such as a physical attack upon Tom King, the Secretary of State, and the arrest of Peter Robinson during the 'Inavsion of Clontibret, when a small Co Monaghan village was attacked by a loyalist group headed by the DUP deputy leader. As tensions escalated yet further in the country and the Northern Ireland Assembly was shut down, a paramilitary force called Ulster Resistance was set up with Paisley and Robinson marching with them in various towns.

Even during the dark period of the 70s and 80s in Northern Ireland this was a year in which the threat of an all-out civil war was very real with some Unionist leaders refusing to rule out a declaration of independence. 

Also featured in this collection are responses from the other main parties to the Agreement. The cross-community Alliance Party were in favour it, as were the main nationalist party at the time, the SDLP, led by John Hume. The former Republicans The Workers Party also broadly supported the Agreement. However, ironically, Sinn Fein were opposed to closer cooperation between the British and Irish governments as the measures were brought in to aid clamping down on the Provisional IRA, therefore making them unusual bedfellows with the Unionists in opposing the deal.

The opposition to the Agreement reached a highwater mark in December 1986 when Ian Paisley confronted Margaret Thatcher as she addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Throughout 1987, opposition fizzled out to background levels and the threat of open conflict receded.

This collections stands as an archive of a turbulent year. However, despite the violent opposition, the Agreement is now seen by some as the first steps on the way to a new relationship between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, which ultimately led to the Downing Street Declaration in 1993 and the beginning of the peace process.