A Year in the Life: Behind the Scenes in Irish Foreign Affairs in 1972

Abstract:This article—adapted from the author's forthcoming book, Sunningdale: the search for peace in Northern Ireland—describes how government policy was formed during 1972, the most violent year of the Troubles. As told from the perspective of a former political adviser in the Department of Foreign Affairs, policy was not always set from the top but was often developed in a creative interaction between those who drafted speeches and articles and political leaders. In the tense atmosphere of 1972, views among department officials and advisers as to which path a government should take often differed. Meanwhile, Ted Heath's government was preparing a Green Paper which, when published, reflected ideas about power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland and an ‘Irish Dimension’ which the Irish government had been arguing for. Though Sunningdale did not succeed, this new approach, a turning point in British policy, remained relevant to all subsequent cooperation in working towards a political settlement.This paper is adapted from Chapter 9, ‘How policy is formed’, of the author's book Sunningdale: the search for peace in Northern Ireland, published in November 2017 by the Royal Irish Academy (see: https://www.ria.ie/sunningdale-search-peace-northern-ireland).