NEWLY RELEASED STATE PAPERS EXPOSE LOYALIST CLAIMS AND HISTORIC NORTHERN IRELAND DIALOGUES

Newly released State Papers have shed fresh light on previously unseen meetings between senior Irish government figures and loyalist representatives in the early 2000s, revealing stark claims of intimidation, exclusion and deep mistrust in post Agreement Northern Ireland. Records show loyalist delegates told then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern that republicans were creating “no-go” areas for Protestants in rural parts of the North, allegations raised amid heightened sectarian tensions following the Good Friday Agreement. The files provide rare insight into behind the scenes dialogue during a fragile period of the peace process, exposing how competing narratives, unresolved grievances and political compromises continued to shape relations long after the guns had largely fallen silent.