THE 10th anniversary of the IRA ceasefire has led to a spate of analysis of our ‘imperfect peace’. Interestingly, in two of Barry McCaffrey’s interviews, both a former Taoiseach and a former loyalist negotiator state that loyalist paramilitaries were prepared to commit to a ceasefire before the IRA.
As always, there are differing accounts of what happened, or perhaps a different emphasis. Albert Reynolds claims loyalists were prepared to guarantee a ceasefire, but not announce it until the IRA had done so first, while UDP negotiator Davy Adams claims the IRA murder of two loyalists – including a senior UDP member – in July 1994 postponed what could have been a summer declaration.
McCaffrey writes in the Irish News: In a telling admission, Mr Reynolds reveals he had been guaranteed a loyalist ceasefire even before the IRA cessation had been secured.
“It was the loyalist paramilitaries who were the first group to agree to a ceasefire even before the IRA took their decision.
“They made an agreement with me that they would call their ceasefires six weeks after the IRA, if they were satisfied that republicans were genuine.
“You had to try and understand where the loyalists and unionists were coming from and when I was taoiseach that is what I tried to do.”
In his other interview, McCaffrey writes: Mr Adams said the IRA murders of leading UDP figure and leading loyalist Ray Smallwoods in July 1994 and UFF leaders Joe Bratty and Raymond Elder two weeks later postponed these announcements.
He claimed that the IRA had been trying to push loyalists away from announcing a ceasefire.
“There was an argument the conditions were in place for the announcement of the loyalist ceasefires in June or July of 1994,” he said.
“But the three murders put those ceasefires back more than three months.
“There was no doubt that the killings were a concession to the hardliners within the IRA before they called their own ceasefire.
“There was a belief that if loyalists had called their ceasefires first, we would have stolen the limelight from republicans.
“It was clear to us that the IRA was trying to push loyalists away from calling the ceasefires but instead it made us more determined.”
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