In 1998, the UK Labour government led by Tony Blair helped to negotiate the Good Friday Agreement, which created a devolved power-sharing government in Northern Ireland. Although previous prime ministers had attempted to secure a peaceful resolution to the issues in the region, the agreement was only concluded in 1998.
What was the Good Friday Agreement anyway, who was important in its creation, and was it successful? Before we learn about all of this, let’s see why we needed the agreement in the first place.
Devolution
The process where the central government delegates power to regional governments.
In the United Kingdom, there are devolved governments in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Good Friday Agreement Date
Good Friday Agreement Date: 10 April 1998
On April 10th, 1998, the Good Friday Agreement, also known as the "Belfast Agreement", was signed in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The agreement was signed by Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister at the time, Bertie Ahern, the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), as well as other political leaders, including Mo Mowlam (British Labour Party) and David Andrews (Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs). The agreement aimed to bring an end to the violence that had troubled Northern Ireland for decades by establishing a power-sharing government and addressing issues of human rights and justice.
The Good Friday Agreement Explained
What was the Good Friday Agreement? Simply put, it was a consensus on the way Northern Ireland should be governed. It was signed by the British and Irish governments and political parties from Northern Ireland.
Prior to the Good Friday Agreement, the political landscape in Northern Ireland was characterized by two primary groups with differing political aspirations. These groups were the unionists, who sought to maintain Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom, and the nationalists, who sought to unify Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. The contrasting aspirations of these groups resulted in frequent acts of violence and prolonged conflict in the region called "The Troubles".
The Good Friday Agreement created a power-sharing government that included both unionists and nationalists. This means that both groups have a say in how Northern Ireland is governed. The agreement also recognized the right of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to self-determination, which means they can decide for themselves how they want to be governed. The agreement also created many new institutions, including the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, the North-South Ministerial Council, and the British-Irish Council.
The agreement also addressed issues of human rights and justice, including the release of political prisoners and the establishment of an independent commission to oversee police reform.
Background of the Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement aimed to end deep-rooted religious tensions between Catholics and protestants in Northern Ireland. But why did these tensions exist?
The answer lies in British colonisation. In the 1600s, Britain wanted to spread influence to Ireland by setting up plantations, which the British Crown saw as a way of controlling, anglicising, and ‘civilising’ parts of Ireland.
Plantation
The Irish plantation system was the colonisation, settlement and effective confiscation of Irish lands by English and Scottish emigrants who were ‘planted’ there. These families moved to Ireland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries under government sponsorship.
The plantations encouraged the arrival of British and Scottish settlers, who brought the Protestant faith with them. Protestantism was the main religion in England and Scotland after the English Reformation, but the Irish were traditionally Catholic.
| Indigenous Irish people | English and Scottish settlers |
| Main religion: Catholicism | Main religion: Protestantism |
| Loyalty to Ireland | Loyalty to the British Crown |
Think about how these differences would have created tensions between the Irish and the settlers.
English Reformation
In 1534, the Church of England began the English reformation after it broke away from the Pope and Catholicism and became its own entity. The Church of England became increasingly more protestant and eventually, Protestantism became the state religion during the rule of Edward VI.
The Irish-British relationship through time: A Brief Timeline
What happened after the plantation?
- By the time Britain formally unified Ireland with Great Britain in 1801, the Protestant settlers in the Northern region of Ulster outnumbered the Irish Catholic population.
- In 1921, the Irish War of Independence led to the division of Ireland between North and South. The North remained part of the UK, whilst the South became a republic in 1949.
- Conflict emerged in Northern Ireland as around two-thirds of its population were Protestant and about one-third was Catholic so the Catholic minority felt discriminated against.
- Protestants were generally unionists and wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK, whilst Catholics were generally republicans/nationalists who wanted to become part of a united Ireland.
- In 1967, the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was founded to protest Catholic discrimination and launched a campaign against the Protestant/Unionist government.
- The government tried to put down the campaign through violence and used the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the Northern Irish Police force, to crush the insurgency. The RUC was mainly made up of Protestant Unionists and loyalists (loyal to Britain but not always Protestant).
- Extreme violence began in 1969 and the government sent the British Army to Northern Ireland, where they remained until 2007. The intervention saw casualties of up to 3500, of those killed 52% were civilians, 30% belonged to British forces and 16% to the various conflicting sides.
Sir John Major and the Good Friday Agreement
Prime Minister John Major (1990–97) and Albert Reynolds, the Irish Taoiseach (1992–94), drafted a joint declaration intended to provide a framework for a peace initiative.
Taoiseach
It’s the Irish Gaelic word for chief or leader and refers to the prime minister and head of government of the Republic of Ireland.
Fig. 1: Prime Minister John Major.
Fig. 2: Taoiseach Albert Reynolds.
They made their joint declaration public on 15 December 1993. The declaration recognised the differences between the two traditions in Ireland and stated that peace could only be achieved through reconciliation.
Did John Major play an influential role in paving the way to peace? That's still up for debate!
| Praises | Criticisms |
| The joint declaration was an important precursor to the Good Friday Agreement.Major engaged in talks with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in an attempt to work towards a peaceful end to the conflict. | Major was criticised for being lenient to some republican groups. British and Irish historians argue that this was the main reason the Irish Republican Army's (IRA) ceasefire and Major's agreement fell through. |
The two main parties from Northern Ireland that joined the Good Friday Agreement were the Social Democratic and Labour Party, led by John Hume, and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), led by David Trimble. The Sinn Féin party (which represented the Irish National army) also contributed to the agreement.
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a Northern Irish social-democratic and Irish nationalist political party founded in 1970.
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party is a Northern Irish unionist and conservative political party that was founded in 1905.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is the largest Irish republican political party and has historically been associated with the IRA. It is alleged that the party has members that were direct members of the IRA. However, the party denies this. During the Good Friday Agreement period Sinn Féin was seen as synonymous with the IRA.
Tony Blair and the Good Friday Agreement
Fig. 3: Tony Blair.
Tony Blair became prime minister in 1997 and aimed to persuade the IRA to declare another ceasefire. Tony Blair also tried to convince Sinn Féin, a political party that had been associated with the IRA, to hold cross-party talks.
At the same time, Blair had to keep the Unionists happy. This was tricky as both opposing sides viewed any concessions to the other side as unacceptable.
However, Blair managed to engage in productive talks with the sceptical Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble.
On Friday, 10 April 1998, Tony Blair achieved his goal and managed to get the opposing groups to sign the Good Friday Agreement.
This said, it's important to remember that the peace process had come a long way before Blair's appointment.
Previous attempts to sign a peace deal
- Edward Heath's (1970–74) attempt at a devolved Northern Ireland through the Sunningdale Agreement.
- Margeret Thatcher's (1979–90) aim at securing cooperation from the Irish government in tackling the IRA.
- Sir John Major's (1990–97) framework for the Good Friday Agreement.
Good Friday Agreement: The Referendum
The Good Friday Agreement was put to a referendum in Northern Ireland on 22 May 1998, and over 71% of voters voted in favour of the agreement. This referendum saw around 82% of the voters show up to the polls.
On that same day, the Republic of Ireland also held a referendum. This vote was the Republic of Ireland's contribution to the peace agreement. The Irish government agreed to make amendments to their Constitution, which would allow Northern Ireland to join the Republic if the majority voted in favour of this unification in the future.
This concession was extremely important in brokering the peace agreement as it gave hope to the republicans and nationalists of a one day united Ireland. This referendum saw 94% of the Republic of Ireland's electorate vote in favour of the amendment.
Opposition to the Good Friday Agreement
Although the agreement went through, not all of the disputing parties in Northern Ireland agreed with it. For instance, the Democratic Union Party (DUP), which was the second-largest unionist party, opposed the agreement and refused to engage in the agreement talks.
The party's leader, Ian Paisley, left agreement talks because the DUP disagreed with the concessions being made to the IRA. The DUP believed that the IRA was a terrorist organisation and they also refused to make any agreement to amendments to the Northern Irish constitution.
Terms of the Good Friday Agreement
Below are some of the key terms of the agreement:
- The Good Friday Agreement recognised that Northern Ireland had the democratic choice to decide whether to continue as part of the United Kingdom or become part of the Republic of Ireland.
- The Good Friday Agreement recognised that only citizens of Ireland and Northern Ireland decided whether they would unite and this would be decided by the vote of a majority.
- The Good Friday Agreement identified that although a small minority wanted to be part of a united Ireland the vast majority of Northern Irish people wanted to remain as part of the United Kingdom.
- The Good Friday Agreement committed to putting in place the necessary legislation to honour the agreements made.
- The Good Friday Agreement also set out some important civil and political rights that stipulated that no matter whether the nation stayed as part of Northern Ireland or a United Ireland, all groups needed to be treated equally, and their cultural traditions and religions needed to be respected.
- The Good Friday Agreement allowed those born in Northern Ireland to obtain dual citizenship and also identify as both Irish nationalities.
- The Good Friday Agreement set up the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) to monitor and push for disarmament.
Decommissioning
This was the process of paramilitary disarmament that was agreed upon in the Good Friday Agreement.
The Impact of the Good Friday Agreement
The first elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly took place on 25 June 1998, and this set in stone the beginning of a cross-party assembly in Northern Ireland. Following this, the UK Parliament passed the Northern Ireland Act on 19 November 1998 to ensure that the necessary provisions were put in place for the terms of the agreement to be achieved.
This act stipulated that Northern Ireland would remain as part of the United Kingdom until the date that the majority of Northern Ireland voted to form a united Ireland in a referendum.
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly, often referred to as Stormont, is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. The Assembly has the power to legislate in a wide range of areas not explicitly reserved for the United Kingdom Parliament. It can also appoint the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Multi-Party Agreement
The Northern Ireland Act now allowed British Parliament to devolve power to Northern Ireland and set out to the Assembly which legislation the government still reserved rights to and which matters they devolved.
In summary, this meant that the government laid out what legislation and policy the Northern Ireland Assembly had power over (devolved to the Assembly) and which parts they did not (elected and reserved to British Parliament). It also made clear how exactly decisions and legislation were made under this new form of governance.
The act outlined how a multi-party government was formed, and the process in which a First Minister and Deputy First Minister could be elected, though this was later amended.
The Multi-Party agreement refers to one of the main agreements made in the Good Friday Agreement, which laid out how a devolved, cross-party, power-sharing government would be formed.
The Multi-party agreement is broken into three strands:
- Democratic Institutions in Northern Ireland
- North-South Institutions
- British-Irish Institutions
The multi-party agreement also dealt with issues of human rights, policing, decommissioning, and the release of prisoners, some of which led to increased controversy later on.
Strand 1. Democratic Institutions in Northern Ireland
The agreement set out that the main institutions of governance in the now devolved Northern Ireland would be the Assembly and the Executive.
The Assembly is a democratically elected body that consists of 90 members of the legislative assembly (MLA). When the Multi-party agreement first passed this number was 108. On occasion, the assembly requires cross-community support. This means that there has to be a specific percentage of agreement between the unionists and the nationalists.
The Executive is made up of the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister, and other 10 ministers. This institution answers to the Assembly and mainly consists of members of it. The role of the First Minister is given to the party with the most members in the legislative assembly and the Deputy is given to the party with the second most members.
The Assembly and Executive can make laws and decisions in the areas of health, agriculture, finance, education, infrastructure, and justice.
The Good Friday Agreement saw the first Assembly created on 25 June 1998.
Strand 2: North-South Institutions
This part of the agreement created a council between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland named the North-South Ministerial Council. This council was created to discuss issues that concern the region as a whole. Many of the policy agreements are in relation to interconnected systems such as the environment, agriculture, education, health, tourism, and transport.
Strand 3: British-Irish Institutions
The final strand of the Multi-party agreement pertained to the relationship between Britain and Ireland as a whole. It sought to carve out mutual areas of interest. This agreement created the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, the British-Irish Council, and the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.
- British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference: it brings together ministers from Ireland and the UK.
- British-Irish Council: it brings together government representatives from Ireland, the UK, the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Crown dependencies: the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.
- British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly: it brings together members of parliament from Ireland, the UK, the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Crown dependencies.
The Aftermath and Legacy of the Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement has not always been stable. In fact, it almost came undone between February 2000 and August 2001 when decommissioning issues rose to the surface once again.
This issue first arose in February 2000 when the Ulster Unionist Party refused to stay in the Executive if the Sinn Féin party remained reluctant to enforce decommission measures for the IRA.
In 2001, this issue intensified when the IRA refused to decommission on the basis that the British government had gone back on some of the assurances made to the IRA in the Good Friday Agreement. This pertained to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), as the IRA had signed the agreement on the basis that the RUC would be reformed, which they did not believe was happening.
This was further worsened by the fact that the United Kingdom had still not withdrawn troops from Northern Ireland. They actually did not withdraw until 2007.
In July 2001, First Minister, David Trimble, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, resigned as a result of the IRA's refusal to disarm. This meant that peace in the region had effectively been compromised yet again. However, on 7 August 2001, the IRA finally agreed to destroy their weapons, and peace was restored.
Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement guarantor
President Joe Biden and the US Congress expressed concerns regarding how Brexit could potentially impact the Good Friday Arrangement. The United States played a key role in pushing for the development of a peace agreement in Northern Ireland and signed off as a Good Friday Agreement guarantor (the other of which was the EU).
Guarantor
A person, organisation, or state that acts as a guarantee of an agreement.
Much of the concern in regards to whether the agreement will hold up after Brexit is in regard to the border between the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU, and Northern Ireland, which is now outside of the EU since the 2016 referendum. However, as it stands, the British government has agreed with the EU on how to handle this, and the terms have not been affected.
Although there have been concerns about the stability of the agreement, it has held for over 20 years and shows that a devolved cross-party government was the best way of achieving some form of sustained peace in the region between opposing political groups.
The Good Friday Agreement Summary
The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was signed on April 10th, 1998, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern, and other political leaders. The agreement aimed to bring an end to sectarian violence in Northern Ireland by establishing a power-sharing government and addressing issues of human rights and justice.
- Key terms of the Good Friday Agreement:
- Establishment of a power-sharing government between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland.
- Recognition of the right of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to self-determination.
- Creation of a North-South Ministerial Council to promote cooperation and coordination between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
- Release of political prisoners on both sides.
- Establishment of an independent commission to oversee police reform.
- Commitment to address issues of human rights, including discrimination, policing, and justice.
The impact of the Good Friday Agreement was significant. It effectively ended the decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland known as "The Troubles." The establishment of a power-sharing government and other reforms provided a framework for peaceful governance in the region, which has largely been held in the years since. However, there have been some ongoing challenges and tensions, particularly around issues of identity and Brexit. Nonetheless, the Good Friday Agreement remains an important milestone in the history of Northern Ireland and has served as a model for conflict resolution in other parts of the world.
Good Friday Agreement - Key Takeaways
- The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was signed on 10 April 1998.
- It came after a period of violent struggles between the Catholic/nationalist population and the Protestant/unionist and loyalist population in Northern Ireland.
- The Good Friday Agreement was reached when the disputing parties in Northern Ireland, as well as Britain and the Republic of Ireland, reached a consensus on how Northern Ireland should be governed.
- The Good Friday Agreement was put to a referendum on 22 May 1998, and the majority of the population voted in favour of it.
- The Agreement created a cross-part devolved government and set out that the main institutions of governance would be the Assembly and the Executive.
- The first elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly took place on 25 June 1998, and this set in stone the beginning of a cross-party assembly in Northern Ireland.
- The Good Friday Agreement has not always been stable and almost came undone between February 2000 and August 2001. On 7 August 2001, the IRA finally agreed to destroy their weapons, and peace was restored.
- good friday agreement prisoner release
References
- Fig. 1: John Major 2014 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Major_2014.jpg) by Chatham House (https://www.flickr.com/photos/chathamhouse/) is licensed by CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
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