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Sunday 3 December 2023 Dublin: 4°C

# State Papers

All time
Cobh's 'military' potential and nuclear dumping in Donegal: concerns about Ireland at end of Cold War
US officials conveyed their worries about a Cobh shipyard to the Taoiseach in 1989.
21.8k
12
Dec 28th 2019, 11:27 AM
New details of Thatcher and Haughey meeting show how British PM was against German reunification
The Birmingham Six and IRA semtex consignments were also spoken about.
23.0k
46
Dec 28th 2019, 9:30 AM
The Christmas cards sent to Haughey asking him not to forget The Birmingham Six
“This will be the 16th Christmas that my father and the five men… will spend imprisoned for a crime that they did not commit,” one letter said.
16.0k
24
Dec 28th 2019, 8:30 AM
NI lobby group was accused of misleading investors about Republic to 'damage our national interest'
The spat was the subject of talks between a UK minister and an Irish ambassador in 1989.
16.9k
9
Dec 28th 2019, 7:15 AM
Pat Finucane murder: Minister's comments about solicitors being 'sympathetic to IRA' were backed by No 10
Douglas Hogg was criticised for remarks he made in the House of Commons three weeks before Finucane was killed in 1989.
30.8k
34
Dec 28th 2019, 6:30 AM
The 1989 letters exchanged between a Birmingham Six prisoner and Charlie Haughey
“This is the first positive thing you have done for us,” Paddy Joe Hill said in a handwritten letter to the Fianna Fáil Taoiseach.
18.8k
4
Dec 28th 2019, 6:00 AM
In 1973 the government had to politely explain why it couldn't cash a near 100-year-old bond
Hundreds of thousands of these bonds were issued in the 19th century to raise support for Irish nationalism.
75.2k
21
Jan 13th 2019, 7:30 AM
For decades, Irish taoisigh have been getting letters suggesting alternatives to the national anthem
Some people even wrote their own.
29.7k
60
Jan 5th 2019, 6:01 PM
'Pub life and gambling': A Soviet Russian guide to 1970s Ireland
Yuri Ustimenko was Russian news agency TAAS’ Irish correspondent from 1969 to 1971.
59.6k
27
Jan 5th 2019, 2:55 PM
'Baylas', 'Beilis', 'Queillys': In the 1980s the government was urged to tackle cheap Spanish Baileys knock-offs
Locally produced copies of “extremely poor quality” were a persistent issue for importers.
24.4k
21
Jan 1st 2019, 1:00 PM
'It would be disastrous': People wrote to government in 1988 over concerns of a seal cull in Co Mayo
The government had ordered a seal census on the west coast to determine whether a cull was necessary.
10.1k
7
Dec 30th 2018, 5:30 PM
Concerns were raised by women in 1986 over waiting times for cervical smear tests results
19 women wrote to the then-Minister for Women’s Affairs and Family Law about the issue, State Papers reveal.
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0
Dec 30th 2018, 7:45 AM
Ireland considered sanctions on Gaddafi's Libya over IRA support but was worried about beef
Ireland had built up a valuable beef export partnership with Libya.
22.7k
45
Dec 29th 2018, 8:00 PM
Garrett FitzGerald told Margaret Thatcher: 'John Hume will generally do what he is asked to do'
The frank assessment came in meeting between the pair in The Hague in 1986.
16.2k
31
Dec 29th 2018, 9:45 AM
Charlie Haughey was urged to pressure 'British arrogance' over Birmingham Six and Guildford Four
The convictions of the nine men and one women were ultimately quashed.
11.7k
14
Dec 29th 2018, 9:30 AM
Fine Gael ministers discussed US corporations paying 'little or no tax' here in the 1980s
A letter from John Bruton to Alan Dukes has been released to the national archives.
11.4k
40
Dec 29th 2018, 8:30 AM
'I'll wreck the joint': The day poet Patrick Kavanagh threatened Dublin's booksellers
“I will break every bloody bookshop in the city up,” Kavanagh barked at Hodges Figgis staff.
39.5k
21
Dec 28th 2018, 10:00 AM
Imprisoned Gerry Conlon slams 'judicial terrorists' in 1988 letter to Haughey
By 1988, The Guildford Four had served over 13 years in prison having been handed down life sentences.
15.3k
13
Dec 28th 2018, 7:30 AM
'A mad priest careering around Europe': Haughey and Thatcher clash over IRA clergyman
Father Patrick Ryan was suspected of being an IRA quartermaster active in Belgium.
24.5k
38
Dec 28th 2018, 12:25 AM
Temple Bar could have been a bus station but for a 'duplicitous volte face' from the government
It would also feature an underground rail tunnel from Heuston Station to Connolly.
17.4k
20
Jan 7th 2018, 7:30 AM
State Papers: RTÉ crew were 'somewhat cavalier' and acted 'on impulse' during US trip
The Irish Embassy had to rebook flights and arrange interviews for RTÉ when its crew visited in 1987.
31.6k
11
Dec 31st 2017, 8:15 PM
State Papers: Irish government on the PIRA's 'biggest propaganda coup since the 1981 hunger strike'
The Irish government raised its concerns to the British over the RUC’s handling of Larry Marley’s funeral.
27.6k
86
Dec 31st 2017, 6:00 PM
A bizarre story about a 'stolen' lawnmower made it into official government records 30 years ago
A tale about a Qualcast Punch Lawnmower worth £210 made it all the way into official Irish government records.
23.2k
23
Dec 31st 2017, 10:30 AM
North Korea wrote to 'Taoiserch Charles Haugher' asking for a letter to be read in the Dáil
“The note has not, of course, been acknowledged.”
27.6k
21
Dec 30th 2017, 7:30 AM
Sinn Féin says rumours Gerry Adams set up Loughall ambush are "utter nonsense"
The claims are made in the State Papers, which were released under the 30-year-rule.
19.6k
171
Dec 29th 2017, 7:30 PM
'Iraq owes us £5m': Ireland's prep ahead of a 1987 visit from one of Saddam's 'Dirty Dozen'
Departmental notes express concern about getting back the £5 million owed to Ireland in export payments.
17.0k
12
Dec 29th 2017, 8:00 AM
'Sleveen', 'anti-Irish' and 'disgusting' - the anger at Lenihan over killing of eight IRA men
An innocent man was killed in the crossfire and his brother received life-altering injuries.
29.9k
109
Dec 29th 2017, 6:30 AM
'Putting jam on the cake': Authorities knew Birmingham Six evidence 'enhanced' years before release
Newly released state papers have shed light on the behind the scenes interactions between the British and Irish governments during the Birmingham Sixes’ first appeal.
31.5k
48
Dec 29th 2017, 12:10 AM
1938 Ireland: Post office clerk fired after £10 disappeared and he bought new suits and a bicycle
Pearoid was paid £2.5.6 a week, with his lodging costing £1.2.6 a week.
23.3k
13
Jan 3rd 2017, 7:30 PM
The government brought in word processors in the 1980s - and civil servants weren't too happy
One civil servant had to routinely work through lunch and late in the day to catch up on work.
15.9k
22
Jan 3rd 2017, 7:00 PM
Irish ambassador said Russians blaming Chernobyl staff was a 'typical Soviet tactic'
Nuclear fallout and Soviet scepticism feature in official Irish state papers on the Chernobyl disaster.
11.0k
18
Jan 3rd 2017, 6:30 AM
The Government opposed giving any special money to help people left devastated by Hurricane Charley
Hurricane Charley swept across numerous counties in 1986 but Wicklow suffered the most.
15.1k
21
Jan 2nd 2017, 6:00 PM
The government was worried a Russian nuclear satellite was about to fall on our heads 30 years ago
The Russian satellite Cosmos 1402 was set to fall from the skies in January 1983.
14.6k
10
Jan 1st 2017, 11:00 PM
The secret songs, pleading letters, and big name snubs of Ireland's plans to entertain Ronald Reagan
Brendan Grace and Phil Coulter both wanted a piece of the pie.
16.7k
10
Jan 1st 2017, 4:00 PM
'Doomed to live alone': Mother pleads with Garret FitzGerald for divorce referendum
The 27-year-old woman said Irish people should be given the opportunity to have a say in “their own destiny”.
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22
Jan 1st 2017, 1:00 PM
Joe Dolan was on a UN blacklist over a performance in South Africa
As were Foster and Allen.
21.2k
31
Jan 1st 2017, 11:00 AM
Ireland's death penalty was a 'quaint throwback' but not everyone wanted to get rid of it
Thirty years ago, there were some political considerations.
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58
Jan 1st 2017, 8:00 AM
Ireland risked a PR disaster by billing for post mortems following the Air India 747 bombing
The bombing of Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Cork in June 1985 dropped Ireland into the middle of a humanitarian disaster recovery operation.
23.5k
3
Jan 1st 2017, 6:30 AM
1984: Letters from UK praise Irish people for their 'warm humanity' and generosity after Band Aid
One woman in England said it was a shame that FitzGerald was not their Prime Minister.
17.8k
34
Dec 31st 2016, 10:15 PM
'Play your war games somewhere else': Anger as submarines caused havoc for Irish fishing industry in 1986
A number of incidents involving Irish trawlers and foreign submarines were reported in 1986.
15.7k
4
Dec 31st 2016, 10:00 PM
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