Ahern, McAleese and Ceasefire

Dateline

In 1997 Ireland entered a new political and economic phase. The general election brought Bertie Ahern to office as Taoiseach, the IRA restored its ceasefire and Sinn Féin entered the multi-party talks process, while Mary McAleese was elected President and became the first person from Northern Ireland to hold the office. Divorce also became legally available in the Republic for the first time under the constitutional and legislative changes approved in the preceding two years.

The wider economy was changing quickly. Unemployment was falling, foreign investment was expanding and the phrase “Celtic Tiger” was becoming increasingly plausible as a description of a country that had spent much of the previous decade dealing with emigration and high joblessness. Yet the central political question remained the peace process, which had been badly damaged by the ending of the first IRA ceasefire in 1996.

Divorce Becomes Available

The Family Law (Divorce) Act 1996 came into operation on 27 February 1997. It provided the legal machinery through which Irish courts could grant decrees of divorce following the narrow approval of the Fifteenth Amendment referendum in 1995. For the first time since the foundation of the State, a marriage could be legally dissolved in the Republic under specified constitutional conditions.

The change was socially important even though the original requirements were restrictive. It reflected a country in which attitudes to marriage, family life and the relationship between church teaching and civil law were changing. The introduction of divorce followed earlier reforms in judicial separation and family law and became another marker of Ireland’s gradual movement towards a more pluralist legal order.

The General Election

A general election was held on 6 June. The outgoing Rainbow Coalition of Fine Gael, Labour and Democratic Left campaigned on its economic and social record, but Fianna Fáil under Bertie Ahern emerged as the largest party. The Progressive Democrats, led by Mary Harney, became Fianna Fáil’s coalition partner, with support from several Independent TDs.

On 26 June Ahern was elected Taoiseach. Mary Harney became Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise and Employment. The new government inherited an economy that was growing rapidly and a peace process that required immediate attention. Ahern had already been involved in Northern Ireland policy as Fianna Fáil leader, but becoming Taoiseach placed him directly at the centre of negotiations with the new British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

The IRA Ceasefire Returns

The IRA had ended its 1994 ceasefire with the Docklands bombing in London in February 1996, excluding Sinn Féin from the multi-party talks that began later that year. In July 1997 the ceasefire was restored. The development followed political contacts involving the Irish government, John Hume and Gerry Adams, and it created the conditions necessary for Sinn Féin to join the negotiations.

The restored ceasefire changed the momentum of the peace process. In September a new phase of substantive all-party talks began at Stormont under the chairmanship of George Mitchell. Sinn Féin participated, while the Democratic Unionist Party withdrew in protest at its inclusion. The talks were difficult and there was no guarantee of success, but the basic architecture of the negotiations that would lead to the Good Friday Agreement was now in place.

Mary McAleese Elected President

The presidential election later in the year produced another landmark. Mary McAleese, a Belfast-born barrister, academic and former broadcaster, won the election and was inaugurated on 11 November as the eighth President of Ireland. She was the first President to come from Northern Ireland.

Her background gave the office particular symbolism during the peace process. McAleese chose “Building Bridges” as the theme of her presidency, emphasising reconciliation, inclusion and relationships across the island. Her election also meant that a woman succeeded another woman, Mary Robinson, confirming how rapidly the public image of the presidency had changed since 1990.

An Economy Accelerates

Economic conditions were dramatically better than at the start of the decade. Central Statistics Office figures put the annual unemployment rate at about 10.3 per cent in 1997, down sharply from the 1993 peak. Employment was rising, construction was expanding and foreign direct investment in technology and internationally traded services was transforming parts of Dublin, Cork, Galway and the eastern corridor.

European integration remained central to this growth model. Ireland was preparing for economic and monetary union while benefiting from the single market and earlier rounds of structural funding. The social partnership system continued to influence wage agreements and fiscal policy. The boom was not evenly distributed, but the national discussion had shifted markedly from unemployment and emigration towards labour shortages, infrastructure and the pressures created by rapid growth.

The Year in Perspective

By the end of 1997, Ireland had a new government, a new President and a restored peace process. Divorce had become part of civil law, and the economy was entering one of the fastest growth periods in the State’s history. None of these developments was complete or irreversible. The Northern Ireland talks remained fragile, and the social consequences of rapid economic growth were only beginning to emerge.

Nevertheless, 1997 was a decisive transition year. Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair now led the two governments most directly involved in the peace process, the IRA ceasefire had reopened the door to inclusive talks, and Mary McAleese’s election gave the presidency an explicitly cross-border resonance. The political conditions for the Good Friday Agreement of the following year were now largely assembled.

Primary Sources

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