By David McCullagh and Fiachra Ó Cionnaith
Every year, the release of State Papers around Christmas time draws a flurry of interest as stories that many may have forgotten resurface.
Some of the main stories to re-emerge have been covered elsewhere, but here are six other things we learned from this year's archive release:
Eyebrows raised after TD wanted to be known as 'Sir'
Eyebrows were raised within the government when Fine Gael TD Oliver J Flanagan announced that he was to be known as 'Sir Oliver' after receiving a Papal knighthood.
The Laois-Offaly TD was made a Knight of St Gregory in 1978 and told the Evening Press that, as his constituents had started calling him 'Sir Oliver', "it would be wrong of me not to accept the title".
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Senior civil servants expressed surprise, because the Constitution required government approval before accepting a "title of nobility or honour", and Papal knighthoods were not regarded as conferring titles.
Experts consulted by the Evening Press agreed, telling the paper that no member of the knighthood had ever before called themselves 'Sir'. [Based on documents in 2024/5/16]
Blair 'crestfallen' to hear Durkan wouldn't support England in 2002
Soccer fans know that football isn't a matter of life and death, it's more important than that and British prime minister Tony Blair discovered this is particularly true when it comes to support for national teams.
The day after the Republic of Ireland team was knocked out of the 2002 World Cup, Blair said he assumed that Irish people would support England for the rest of the tournament.
He made the suggestion to SDLP leader Mark Durkan at a meeting in London in June 2002 and was left "a bit crestfallen to hear Durkan express himself in a very non-committal manner on the matter of England’s likely fortunes."
Still, it could have worse, he could have taken sides between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy. [Based on documents in 2024/130/15]
RUC confidence survey dismissed as 'propaganda'
Irish officials dismissed a survey showing public confidence in policing in the north as "little short of propaganda" for the RUC.
The survey was carried out in September 1996 for the Police Authority and claimed that 90% of Protestants and 60% of Catholics "had confidence in the ability of the RUC" to provide ordinary policing services.
However, foreign affairs official Eamon McKee pointed out that the detailed figures showed that Catholic support was less than whole-hearted, with 36% saying they only had "some confidence" in the RUC.
McKee pointed out that this could include some Catholics who were "reluctant to declare on the doorstep to (the Police Authority) that they had little, or no confidence in the RUC." [Based on documents in 2024/24/38]
Concerns smuggled cannon may become IRA targets
Two extremely rare 16th-century bronze cannon made for King Henry VIII were smuggled from a Waterford shipwreck by British treasure hunters and sold to the Tower of London, which denied any Irish links until British officials became concerned negative publicity could see them targeted by the Provisional IRA.
The Tower dismissed media reports that the cannon had been smuggled out of Irish waters, suggesting they may have been found off Sussex.
But in 1992 officials finally agreed to talk to the Irish about the cannon, worth £30,000 each at the time, because they were worried media controversy might draw the attention of the IRA, and possibly to a bomb attack against the Tower. [Based on documents in 2024/52/181]
SF was 'paralysed, damaged' after Stakeknife revelation
The leadership of Sinn Féin was "paralysed and damaged" by the revelation that a senior republican, Freddie Scappaticci, was a British agent known as Stakeknife.
An Irish government briefing document from May 2003 notes that the revelation had "further damaged the Sinn Féin leadership in the eyes of the wider movement, generating all kinds of internal conspiracy theories about who was protecting who and whether this IRA mole was ruthlessly used to eliminate the key opponents of the peace process within republicanism". [Based on documents in 2024/112/15]
Emergence of TV licence inspectors after IRA ceasefire
The IRA ceasefire brought peace, demilitarisation and TV licence inspectors.
This did not go down well with republicans in Co Tyrone as local Sinn Féin politician Francie Molloy observed to an Irish diplomat, in March 1995 "virtually nobody in Cappagh and Galbally has a TV licence".
Molloy said the TV licence issue was "the sort of mundane issue which is an irritant in these areas" and would could have a negative impact on local republican attitudes.
Other such issues were "an upsurge of RUC interest in car tyre treads, defective lights, etc".
Fr Alec Reid agreed, suggesting that "it would be better if the TV people proceeded with less zeal for the moment". [Based on documents in 2024/28/11]
