The British prime minister’s ‘do or die’ promise to leave by October 31 has become a virility symbol, and the no-deal scenario is partly a ploy to intimidate Ireland and the EU
The power relationship between the two wings of republicanism has been completely reversed
As Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds employed skill, guile and guts to help bring the Peace Process into being, writes Martin Mansergh.
With the death of Father Alec Reid, Ireland has lost someone who was an initiator of the peace process and its principal enabler in its early years, until a complete IRA ceasefire was achieved on August 31, 1994.
The visit of Queen Elizabeth reflected something even more than the achievements of the peace process
Even Ahern’s most ardent critics have to acknowledge how much he has contributed to Ireland’s exceptional political stability over the last decade.
