State papers release 2014

Echoes of the past from the Archives

From today, the State papers from 1984 and earlier, released under the 30-year rule, will be available to the public at the National Archives in Bishop Street, Dublin. Representatives of the main national media, including The Irish Catholic, were allowed a preview earlier in December. The following pages present some stories of special interest to our readers.

Readers might like to be reminded of some of the events that marked 1984. The one event that caused the great social dismay was the sad case of Ann Lovet, a 15-year-old who died giving birth to a baby boy in a grotto at Granard. Despite the fact that this case led to the revelation of many cases of sexual abuse, there are no files relating to the case released today.

The New Ireland Forum Report, again of great public interest, is a matter which takes up much space in the files. Then there was the visit in June of US President Ronald Regan to Ireland, and to his ancestral home in Ballyporeen (allegedly “the Valley of the Little Potato”). But this led to strong Irish protests focused on US policy in Central America from the hierarchy and the Taoiseach.

Engagements

The bishops found themselves with other engagements, and denied that they had “boycotted” the event. But many American admirers of the president let the Taoiseach, Dr Garret FitzGerald, know in a deluge of angry letters what they felt about his support of “communists” in Central America and his rudeness to one of Ireland’s great friends.

The Dunnes stores’ workers strike against apartheid and the plight of Fr Niall O’Brien in the Philippines focused many people again on foreign affairs.

In the autumn, the leading event was an attack on the Brighton Hotel where the British Conservative Party was holding its annual conference, in which five people were killed. This gave Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher an opportunity to re-emerge as a national, rather than party, leader.

Only some of these events are reflected in the files, and not always in detail. As has always been the case with these releases, many State secrets remain just that, State secrets.