Fianna Fail, Irish Republicanism and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-2002 Book

Acknowledgements vii

Abbreviations x

Preface xiii

Introduction: The North in the South: The Irish State and Partition 1921-68 1

Constructing an Orthodoxy 3

Partition as a Tactical Device 5

Ideological Contradictions: Sovereignty versus unity 9

Seán Lemass: 'An era of radical change'? 13

Chapter 1 Jack Lynch and the Failure of Conciliation 1968-79 21

Jack Lynch and the Northern Ireland Troubles 22

The Arms Crisis 1970 24

Unity as the Ultimate Solution: Northern Ireland policy in the Post-1970 Arms Crisis Period 32

Domestic and Anglo-Irish Pressures: Understanding policy on Northern Ireland in the Post-Arms Crisis Period 38

Fianna Fáil Northern Ireland Policy 1973-9 42

Conclusion 45

Chapter 2 Charles J. Haughey and Sinn Féin 1979-92: Towards a consensus on partition? 51

Charles Haughey and Northern Ireland Policy 53

The Importance of Sinn Féin to Fianna Fáil's Northern Ireland Policy 59

Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin in the Post-Anglo-Irish Agreement Period 66

The 1988 Sinn Féin/Fianna Fáil Talks Initiative: Implications for the peace process 69

The Principles of Consent and Self-determination 74

Conclusion 78

Chapter 3 Albert Reynolds and the Northern Ireland Peace Process 1992-4 87

The Political Environment 88

The Reynolds Administration 92

Constitutional Change Linked to the 1920 Government of Ireland Act and North-South Bodies 93

Constitutional Change as part of an Overall Settlement 94

Building the Pan-Nationalist Alliance 95

Anglo-Irish Relations 97

The Contribution of Dick Spring 102

The 1993 Downing Street Declaration 106

IdeologicalImplications of the 1993 Downing Street Declaration 108

The 1994 Ceasefire 110

Conclusion 114

Chapter 4 Bertie Ahern: From opposition leader to peacemaker 1994-98 124

Fianna Fáil in Opposition, December 1994-June 1997 125

The Framework Documents of February 1995 125

The Collapse of Bi-partisanship 130

Ahern as Taoiseach: Negotiations and agreement 137

Issues of Contention: North-South institutions 138

Issues of Contention: Articles Two and Three 141

The Negotiations 144

The Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement 146

The May 1998 Referenda 147

Unionism and the Good Friday Agreement 151

Conclusion 152

Chapter 5 The Monster of the Peace Process': Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement 161

A Dual Approach to Sinn Féin 163

Issues of Security, Democracy and Decommissioning 165

Criticisms of the Peace Process 167

The 2002 General Election 171

The Implications for Fianna Fáil and the Peace Process 172

2005: A New Approach or the Sin-Binning of Sinn Féin? 174

Conclusion 183

Conclusion: Revising Republicanisms? 190

Republicanisms: Fianna Fáil and the Peace Process 190

The Nation 193

Unionism 197

Fianna Fáil, Northern Ireland, Unity and the Future of the Peace Process 200

Dramatis Personae 205

Chronology 213

Select Bibliography 221

Index 235