| Popis: |
This research, using a range of sources, will examine the development of relations between the governments of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic from June 1959 to February 1973. Using the theoretical framework of Charles Lindblom, who argues that policy makers make decisions in an incremental fashion, this thesis will illustrate how Lindblom's theory accurately reflects how the Northern and Southern governments developed their own policies towards cross-border co-operation. The thesis will outline how Sean Lemass becoming Taoiseach represented a shift in the Irish government's policy on Northern Ireland as he attempted to improve relations with not just the Unionist government but also the British government. Furthermore, using primarily cabinet and personal papers the research will seek to examine the rationale of Lemass in promoting closer co-operation with Northern Ireland. The thesis will also illustrate how both external and internal political pressures impacted on the development of North-South relations. The case of the Northern Ireland Prime Minister, Terence O'Neill, illustrates how pressure from the British government and from his own cabinet led him to embark upon a policy of improving relations with the Irish government. The research will also, using newspapers from that period, examine the political reaction to the policies and proposals made by the Irish government during this period. Relations between both governments in the aftermath of the O'NeilllLemass summit in January 1965 will be critically evaluated. In addition to this, attention will be drawn to the paralysis that had overcome formal co-operation from 1966 onwards as result of the coincidence of the fiftieth anniversaries of the Somme and 1916 rising. |
