The Far Side of Revenge: Making Peace in Northern Ireland

'Who's afraid of peace?' was the cry of Albert Reynolds on becoming Taoiseach in 1992. Or, as Yeats suggested, was Ireland too small and hatred too intense for peace? The conflict between Ireland and Britain brought tragedy and grief for centuries to untold numbers of families and communities. It poisoned Ireland's political and intellectual life and undermined civil and human rights. This book is an account of a determined effort, involving Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, Bill Clinton, George Mitchell, Gerry Adams and many others, to finally resolve the 'Irish Question', to replace murder, terror and discrimination with the norms of a modern, civilised society. This definitive and contemporary behind-the-scenes account of the Irish peace process by an award-winning journalist is a gripping story of how the IRA and Ulster Unionists found common ground with other parties and the Irish and British governments. Like a diplomatic thriller, the book describes, for the first time, the inside story of how the IRA ceasefire was restored in 1997, and how the parties and governments afterwards edged towards agreement. This eventually culminated, after many heart-stopping moments and near breakdowns, in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and a power-sharing executive in Belfast. Republicans and Unionists were in government together for the first time in history and have since struggled to keep that agreement alive.