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Anglo Irish Agreement

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On 15 November 1985, after months of negotiation between British and Irish civil servants, the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald at Hillsborough Castle.

Irish nationalists and Unionists interpreted the Agreement as giving the Irish a major input into the running of Northern Ireland, in effect approaching Joint Authority. For the British, however, the Republic of Ireland’s role was to be merely consultative. The greatest degree of opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement came from unionists and this iconic poster featured heavily in unionist protests against it.

Ulster Says No poster in red white and blue
Poster printed blue and white on red, 'Ulster Says No.' This iconic poster from 1985 featured heavily in unionist protests against the Anglo-Irish Agreement after the signing of the Agreement at Hillsborough in November of that year. BELUM.Zg10207

The ‘Ulster Says No’ campaign was led by Ulster Unionist Party leader James Molyneaux and Democratic Unionist Party leader Rev. Ian Paisley. It is associated with a rally at Belfast City Hall attended by an audience estimated at over 100,000 people.

 

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