8 Apr 2023

David Mitchell: Brexit's impact on the Good Friday agreement

From Saturday Morning, 8:12 am on 8 April 2023

It's a quarter of a century since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, ending decades of violence in Northern Ireland. But there are new concerns the document's promise of peace could be threatened, as Brexit negotiations shine a light on Northern Ireland's constitutional place within the United Kingdom.

Last month a deal, known as the Windsor Framework, was reached between the UK and EU leaders over the Irish border issue, but not everyone is happy with the outcome, including the Unionist leadership who have boycotted the Northern Ireland Assembly.

David Mitchell is Assistant Professor in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation at Trinity College Dublin in Belfast whose work includes coediting The Politics of Conflict and Transformation: The Island of Ireland in Comparative Perspective. So what lessons have been learned since the grim days of the Troubles, and how big a risk are these negotiations to peace in Northern Ireland?

David Mitchell

David Mitchell: Supplied Photo: supplied