Stormont’s First Cabinet
Archived: 26 September 2026
In 1999, Northern Ireland’s devolved Executive began work at Stormont, led by David Trimble and Seamus Mallon, while new North/South and British-Irish bodies implemented the Good Friday Agreement. The Republic amended its Constitution, replacing territorial claims with consent-based unity, though decommissioning and policing reform remained disputed. Ireland joined the euro’s non-cash phase amid rapid economic growth, but nurses’ industrial action revealed pressure on public services. Kosovar refugees arrived and immigration law changed. States of Fear prompted official acknowledgement of institutional abuse. Gay Byrne left The Late Late Show, Heaney published Beowulf, and Cork won the All-Ireland hurling final in September.
