Dundalk, Devolution and £4.40
Archived: 26 September 2026
In 2000, Northern Ireland’s new power-sharing Executive was suspended over IRA decommissioning, then restored after commitments and arms inspections, though no weapons were destroyed. Saville’s Bloody Sunday hearings began, while policing reform advanced through the Police (Northern Ireland) Act. In the Republic, Celtic Tiger growth brought low unemployment, inflation and infrastructure pressures, prompting the National Development Plan and Science Foundation Ireland. A national minimum wage, equal-status protections, human-rights legislation and child-abuse inquiry strengthened social accountability. Clinton visited Dundalk supporting peace. Sporting finals sustained shared rituals, but fragile devolution and unresolved arms left the peace process dependent on continuing international reassurance.