The 1974–5 Threat of a British Withdrawal from Northern Ireland

Abstract:Arising from the release of Irish and British state papers for the years 1974 and 1975, Professor Ronan Fanning wrote in the Irish Independent about the Irish government's reactions in 1975 to what appeared to be a danger that the British government might withdraw from Northern Ireland. This current article outlines the circumstances in which, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, I submitted a memorandum to government on this issue on 11 June 1975, incorporating a document prepared at the request of the government by the Inter-Departmental Unit on Northern Ireland. It also deals with the reactions of Conor Cruise O'Brien, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and Labour Spokesman on Northern Ireland, and of Assistant Cabinet Secretary Dermot Nally to this memorandum, including their concern at any consultation with the SDLP on this issue; and it places this matter in the political context of the period.