BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Peter Olphert was 14 when Irish Republican Army gunmen killed his father. Forty years later, he says it’s time to set aside the past.
Mark Thompson lost his brother to British Army bullets, another victim of “the Troubles” that wracked Northern Ireland for three decades. He thinks society can’t move forward until it confronts unfinished business and holds some of those responsible to account.
This month marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement largely ended bloodshed that left 3,600 people dead, some 50,000 wounded and thousands bereaved. Northern Ireland is observing the anniversary with a reunion of key peace process players and a visit from U.S. President Joe Biden.
Peter Morrison, Associated Press
Peter Olphert, whose father, John, was shot dead by Irish Republican Army gunmen in 1983, looks at his father's photograph Monday at his family home in Limavady, Northern Ireland.
Deep divisions remain over the conflict’s legacy — making it hard for some of Northern Ireland’s 1.9 million people to move past it. And Britain’s exit from the European Union only complicated matters.
“It is time, in my opinion, to draw a line in the sand and move forward,” said Olphert, who recently retired after 30 years as a police officer — the same job held by his father, John Olphert, who was shot dead by masked gunmen in 1983 in the family’s shop.
Olphert said it would have been “very easy” for him, as a grieving teenager, to join one of the pro-British loyalist militias waging war against Irish republican militants in a conflict that also drew in the British military.
“There was that invitation there, let’s just say, that I should follow that certain path and get revenge,” he said. “But that was never for me. The more you perpetuate what happened in the past, the more generations are going to have that bitterness.”
But Thompson argues that moving on is not so simple — and moving on without fully grappling with the past could inadvertently set the stage for more conflict.
Peter Morrison, Associated Press
Mark Thompson, from Relatives for Justice, speaks Wednesday at a photo exhibition in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
After his brother Peter was shot dead by undercover British soldiers in Belfast in 1990, he co-founded Relatives for Justice, a group that campaigns to uncover the truth about killings involving U.K. security forces, for which there have been few prosecutions.
“To say that we draw a line under that means that we don’t learn the lessons of it,” Thompson said. “The lesson of any society emerging from conflict is you can’t sweep it under the carpet because … it really reinvigorates some of the grievances that lead to further conflict.”
Ending the Troubles meant balancing competing identities in Northern Ireland, which remained in the United Kingdom when the rest of Ireland won independence a century ago. Irish nationalists in the north — most of them Catholic — seek union with the Republic of Ireland, while largely Protestant unionists want to stay part of the U.K.
The Good Friday Agreement, struck on April 10, 1998, after almost two years of U.S.-backed talks, committed armed groups to stop fighting, ended direct British rule and set up a Northern Ireland legislature and government with power shared between unionist and nationalist parties.
The peace accord succeeded far better than many expected, despite occasional attacks by dissident armed groups that last month prompted U.K. authorities to raise Northern Ireland’s terrorism threat level to “severe.”
Peter Morrison, Associated Press
Tourists on Wednesday sign the “peace walls” that still separate some nationalist and unionist neighborhoods in west Belfast, Northern Ireland.
During the Troubles, downtown Belfast was a ghost town at night, surrounded by a security ring of steel. Now busy pubs, hip cafes and microbreweries dot the Victorian streets. A gleaming new campus for Ulster University is helping to revive the scarred city center.
“It’s a hugely different place now,” said Steve Malone, who leads walking tours focused on Belfast’s bloody past. “Even in the physical infrastructure. We now have a transport system that connects the western, Catholic-dominated side of the city with the eastern, Protestant-dominated side. That did not happen during the conflict.”
Katy Hayward, professor of political sociology at Queen’s University Belfast, said one goal of the peace agreement has been neglected: reconciliation.
She said the deal placed emphasis on releasing prisoners jailed for taking part in the conflict and reintegrating them into society. As a result, former militants “remain powerful and influential” in their communities.
A U.K. government plan to end prosecutions of militants and British soldiers for alleged crimes during the Troubles would further bury hopes of holding perpetrators to account. It has been met with widespread opposition.
Peter Morrison, Associated Press
A loyalist mural Wednesday on a wall in east Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Fortified 25-foot-tall “peace walls” still separate some nationalist and unionist neighborhoods in Belfast. Rival murals of masked IRA fighters and gun-toting loyalist militants adorn streets on either side.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has not sat for more than a year, after the main unionist party pulled out of the government to protest new trade rules for Northern Ireland brought in after Brexit.
Some argue that the power-sharing structure set up by the peace accord no longer works in a changing Northern Ireland, where more than 40% of people reject the old sectarian labels.
Catholics now outnumber Protestants for the first time, and the question of whether in the long run Northern Ireland will remain part of the U.K. or join the south remains unresolved. The Good Friday Agreement authorizes a referendum on Irish unification if polls ever indicate it would likely pass.
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
Crowds of protesting Civil Rights demonstrators with a burning police bus on Jan. 11, 1969, after a day of violent protest in Newry, County Down, Ulster, Northern Ireland. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
Crowds of protesting Civil Rights demonstrators with a burning police bus on Jan. 11, 1969, after a day of violent protest in Newry, County Down, Ulster, Northern Ireland. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
Young locals draw water from a well in the Old Park Road area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on April 21, 1969, due to water rationing after the Silent Valley Reservoir was damaged in a bomb blast. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
Young locals draw water from a well in the Old Park Road area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on April 21, 1969, due to water rationing after the Silent Valley Reservoir was damaged in a bomb blast. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Anonymous
Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, cautiously wave to a crowd of well-wishers on Wednesday, August 10, 1977, from a partly closed window in Hillsborough Castle, 12 miles south of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Violence is marking the Queen’s silver jubilee visit to the troubled province. (AP Photo)
Anonymous
Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, cautiously wave to a crowd of well-wishers on Wednesday, August 10, 1977, from a partly closed window in Hillsborough Castle, 12 miles south of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Violence is marking the Queen’s silver jubilee visit to the troubled province. (AP Photo)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
AP
A wall painted with the words "You Are Now Entering Free Derry" in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in May, 1981. (AP Photo)
AP
A wall painted with the words "You Are Now Entering Free Derry" in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in May, 1981. (AP Photo)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
AP
Graffiti referring to the Easter Rising in 1916 is painted on a wall in Northern Ireland in May 1981. (AP Photo)
AP
Graffiti referring to the Easter Rising in 1916 is painted on a wall in Northern Ireland in May 1981. (AP Photo)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
One of the many blazing vehicles in West Belfast, Northern Ireland on March 16, 1988, as riots broke out after the killings at an IRA funeral on March 16 in which three people died. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
One of the many blazing vehicles in West Belfast, Northern Ireland on March 16, 1988, as riots broke out after the killings at an IRA funeral on March 16 in which three people died. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
British troops in Belfast, Northern Ireland around 1969. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
British troops patrol in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1969, following conflict in the city. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
British troops patrol in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1969, following conflict in the city. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
AP
British troops patrol through wreckage in streets of Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland, following conflicts in the city in 1969. (AP Photo)
AP
British troops patrol through wreckage in streets of Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland, following conflicts in the city in 1969. (AP Photo)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
Against a background of ruined homes, British troops guard a strategic roadway position in their peacekeeping role in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1969. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
Against a background of ruined homes, British troops guard a strategic roadway position in their peacekeeping role in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1969. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
AP
Women chat on apavement against a background of political slogans written on a wall in Belfast, Northern Irelandl in 1972. (AP Photo)
AP
Women chat on apavement against a background of political slogans written on a wall in Belfast, Northern Irelandl in 1972. (AP Photo)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
ASSOCIATED PRESS
British troops stand guard in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, during disorders in the area in 1969. (AP Photo)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
British troops stand guard in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, during disorders in the area in 1969. (AP Photo)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
Children near barricades erected in streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland in August 1969. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
Children near barricades erected in streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland in August 1969. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
Business as usual as people buy apples beside barricades erected in streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland in August 1969. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
Business as usual as people buy apples beside barricades erected in streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland in August 1969. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
Riot police wearing helmets and gas masks during disturbances with Catholic rioters along a street in the Bogside area of Londonderry, Northern Ireland on Aug. 13, 1969. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
Riot police wearing helmets and gas masks during disturbances with Catholic rioters along a street in the Bogside area of Londonderry, Northern Ireland on Aug. 13, 1969. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Jacob Harris
Demonstrators gather in the plaza outside United Nations headquarters in New York, Aug. 26, 1969 protesting England’s role in the troubles of Northern Ireland. The crowd heard Northern Ireland’s Bernadette Devlin call for a boycott of English goods. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris)
Jacob Harris
Demonstrators gather in the plaza outside United Nations headquarters in New York, Aug. 26, 1969 protesting England’s role in the troubles of Northern Ireland. The crowd heard Northern Ireland’s Bernadette Devlin call for a boycott of English goods. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Royle
An armed British soldier in Belfast, Northern Ireland during disorders in September 1969. (AP Photo/Royle)
Royle
An armed British soldier in Belfast, Northern Ireland during disorders in September 1969. (AP Photo/Royle)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
Housewives from the Lower Falls area demonstrate outside special center set up by army authorities to deal with citizens complaints such as looting during search for arms, in Belfast, Northern Ireland in July 1970. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
Housewives from the Lower Falls area demonstrate outside special center set up by army authorities to deal with citizens complaints such as looting during search for arms, in Belfast, Northern Ireland in July 1970. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
Orange Day Parade passing through the city streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 12, 1970 to commemorate Prince William of Orange's victory over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. British Troops gurad at known trouble spots. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
Peter Kemp
Orange Day Parade passing through the city streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 12, 1970 to commemorate Prince William of Orange's victory over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. British Troops gurad at known trouble spots. (AP Photo/Peter Kemp)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
AP
Children look on as barricades are rebuilt in the Bogside District in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in April 1972. (AP Photo)
AP
Children look on as barricades are rebuilt in the Bogside District in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in April 1972. (AP Photo)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Morrison
FILE - British Army soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Prince of Wales Royal Regiment leave Bessbrook British Army base for the last time in South Armagh, Northern Ireland, on June 25, 2007. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
Peter Morrison
FILE - British Army soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Prince of Wales Royal Regiment leave Bessbrook British Army base for the last time in South Armagh, Northern Ireland, on June 25, 2007. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Michel Laurent
FILE - Bernadette Devlin Member of Parliament for Mid-Ulster, is surrounded by reporters and photographers, in Belfast, on Feb. 13, 1972, as she pauses to light her cigarette during an illegal rally. The rally was in protest against internment and British troops in Belfast. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo, File)
Michel Laurent
FILE - Bernadette Devlin Member of Parliament for Mid-Ulster, is surrounded by reporters and photographers, in Belfast, on Feb. 13, 1972, as she pauses to light her cigarette during an illegal rally. The rally was in protest against internment and British troops in Belfast. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Anonymous
FILE - President of the Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams helps to carry the coffin of IRA member Thomas Begley, through the Ardoyne area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on Oct. 27, 1993. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo, File)
Anonymous
FILE - President of the Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams helps to carry the coffin of IRA member Thomas Begley, through the Ardoyne area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on Oct. 27, 1993. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
STR
FILE - Troops from the King's Own Scottish Regiment stand behind barbed wire in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1970. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” The agreement gave formal recognition to Northern Ireland’s multiple identities, allowing residents to identify as British, Irish or both. (AP Photo, File)
STR
FILE - Troops from the King's Own Scottish Regiment stand behind barbed wire in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1970. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” The agreement gave formal recognition to Northern Ireland’s multiple identities, allowing residents to identify as British, Irish or both. (AP Photo, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Max Nash
FILE - Sinn Fein deputy leader Martin McGuinness who will lead the Sin Fein delegation in talks with the British Government, at a rally in Belfast on Dec. 8, 1994. Behind him is Sinn Fein Leader Gerry Adams. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Max Nash, File)
Max Nash
FILE - Sinn Fein deputy leader Martin McGuinness who will lead the Sin Fein delegation in talks with the British Government, at a rally in Belfast on Dec. 8, 1994. Behind him is Sinn Fein Leader Gerry Adams. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Max Nash, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Morrison
FILE - People walk past pro-Brexit graffiti in West Belfast Northern Ireland, on Oct. 14, 2019. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
Peter Morrison
FILE - People walk past pro-Brexit graffiti in West Belfast Northern Ireland, on Oct. 14, 2019. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
STR
FILE - British troops watch as members of the Ulster Defence Association parade through Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Aug. 1972. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.”(AP Photo, File)
STR
FILE - British troops watch as members of the Ulster Defence Association parade through Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Aug. 1972. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.”(AP Photo, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Morrison
FILE - Police form a line on the Springfield road to stop Nationalists and Loyalists attacking each other, as a hijacked bus burns in the distance in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on April 7, 2021. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
Peter Morrison
FILE - Police form a line on the Springfield road to stop Nationalists and Loyalists attacking each other, as a hijacked bus burns in the distance in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on April 7, 2021. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
FILE - British Army Riot Squad troops wearing gas masks, bullet proof vests and wielding two foot long batons during a demonstration in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Oct. 2, 1969. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Kemp, File)
Peter Kemp
FILE - British Army Riot Squad troops wearing gas masks, bullet proof vests and wielding two foot long batons during a demonstration in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Oct. 2, 1969. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Kemp, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
FILE - British troops with their armored personnel carriers surround a blazing barricade near the Andersonstown Police Station in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1979. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Kemp, File)
Peter Kemp
FILE - British troops with their armored personnel carriers surround a blazing barricade near the Andersonstown Police Station in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1979. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Kemp, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Paul McErlane
FILE - Royal Ulster Constabulary Police officers stand on Market Street, the scene of a car bombing in the centre of Omagh, Co Tyrone, 72 miles west of Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Aug. 15, 1998. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Paul McErlane, File)
Paul McErlane
FILE - Royal Ulster Constabulary Police officers stand on Market Street, the scene of a car bombing in the centre of Omagh, Co Tyrone, 72 miles west of Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Aug. 15, 1998. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Paul McErlane, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Dave Caulkin
FILE - The scene in Falls Road, West Belfast, Northern Ireland after a large car bomb exploded outside the Sinn Fein Headquarters on Sept. 4, 1994. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin, File)
Dave Caulkin
FILE - The scene in Falls Road, West Belfast, Northern Ireland after a large car bomb exploded outside the Sinn Fein Headquarters on Sept. 4, 1994. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Kemp
FILE - A wall painting supporting the Irish Republican Army, seen in the Catholic area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on Nov. 1985. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Kemp, File)
Peter Kemp
FILE - A wall painting supporting the Irish Republican Army, seen in the Catholic area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on Nov. 1985. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo/Peter Kemp, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Dan Chung
FILE - From right, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, pose together after they signed the Good Friday Agreement for peace in Northern Ireland, on April 10, 1998. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo, File)
Dan Chung
FILE - From right, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, pose together after they signed the Good Friday Agreement for peace in Northern Ireland, on April 10, 1998. It has been 25 years since the striking of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace accord that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, a period known as “the Troubles.” (AP Photo, File)
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As it turns 25, Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement explained
Peter Morrison
FILE - IRA prisoner Martina Anderson, centre, gives her mother a warm welcome after being released from prison in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Nov. 10, 1998. Anderson and fellow prisoner Ella O'Dwyer, right, were serving life sentences and were the last female IRA prisoners to be released under the terms of the Good Friday Peace agreement. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
Peter Morrison
FILE - IRA prisoner Martina Anderson, centre, gives her mother a warm welcome after being released from prison in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Nov. 10, 1998. Anderson and fellow prisoner Ella O'Dwyer, right, were serving life sentences and were the last female IRA prisoners to be released under the terms of the Good Friday Peace agreement. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
