The Good Friday Agreement Ends the Troubles
Governments and former paramilitary parties sign a peace deal that finally holds
Quick facts
- Signed
- 10 April 1998
- UK signatories
- Tony Blair, Mo Mowlam
- Irish signatories
- Bertie Ahern, David Andrews
- Ratified by
- Referendums, North and South
What happened
After extended multi-party negotiations, the Belfast Agreement, commonly called the Good Friday Agreement, was signed on 10 April 1998 by the British and Irish governments and most of Northern Ireland's political parties. The agreement's own text describes it as offering a new beginning in relationships within Northern Ireland, within the island of Ireland, and between Britain and Ireland, and its signatories reaffirmed commitment to partnership, equality, and mutual respect along with protection of civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights. It was signed by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam, Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and Tanaiste David Andrews, and established power-sharing government in Northern Ireland along with new institutions linking Belfast, Dublin, and London. The agreement was subsequently endorsed by referendums held on both sides of the border.
Why it matters
The Good Friday Agreement ended most of the organized violence of the Troubles after nearly three decades and created a durable power-sharing framework in Northern Ireland, built on cross-community consent, that has survived repeated political crises since 1998 even when the devolved institutions it created have periodically collapsed.
How we know
The Good Friday Agreement's full text is a public treaty document, held by the UK National Archives and reproduced in full by academic archives including Yale Law School's Avalon Project, and its signing and referendum results are documented in contemporary government and news records.
Sources
- The Avalon Project, Yale Law School. The Good Friday Agreement; April 10, 1998 · Primary source (author-declared)avalon.law.yale.edu · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- The National Archives (UK). Belfast Good Friday Agreement · Reputable sourcenationalarchives.gov.uk · The domain "nationalarchives.gov.uk" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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