Personal reflections on the Good Friday Agreement

The signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was a pivotal event in modern Irish history.

It ushered in a new era of peace in Northern Ireland and set a new tone in Anglo-Irish relations.

Dr Tim O’Connor - a senior official in the Department of Foreign Affairs - was a key member of the Irish negotiating team that led to the signing of that historic agreement. Mr O’Connor, a native of Kilkeedy, West Limerick, worked as a civil servant from 1974 to 2010, and was Secretary General to President Mary McAleese during the final three years of his civil service career. Now in retirement, he runs a small consultancy business and is heavily involved in several charitable and voluntary organisations. He is still involved in the Northern Ireland Peace Process, having been appointed the Irish government appointee on the Independent Reporting Commission on Paramilitarism (the IRC) in 2017.

The Ormond Historical Society is delighted to have secured Dr O’Connor to speak to us on Tuesday, November 14, next at the usual venue, the Abbey Court Hotel. His talk entitled ‘The Good Friday Agreement: Personal Reflections on a Pivotal Moment in Modern Irish History’ will be ground-breaking for its intimate insights into that historic process.

The talk begins at the usual starting time of 8pm. Members and those intending to attend should please note that this talk is on a Tuesday night, not on the Monday night, to which we are all accustomed. All are invited to come along to hear a speaker who played a key role in one of the most pivotal events in modern Irish history.

Society members go free; non-members - €10. Those wishing to renew their membership of the Society or to join are requested to arrive as early as possible to facilitate the talk starting on time.