1970s file examined redrawing border

A CONFIDENTIAL paper from the 1970s suggested that most of Tyrone could be integrated into the Republic by way of a negotiated repatriation process.

The paper, prepared by the Irish government, outlined a radical proposal for reshaping the border between the North and the Republic of Ireland.

Omagh, Strabane, Castlederg, Dungannon, Cookstown and their hinterlands in Tyrone, as well as all of Fermanagh, Derry City, south Down and south Armagh, would be transferred to the Republic, leaving Co Antrim as the only intact northern county.

Such a seismic shift would directly impact approximately 500,000 individuals, with a majority of them being from the Catholic community.

Financial considerations were not overlooked, with estimated costs for the proposed repatriation ranging between £226 million and £652 million at the time.

The economic analysis underscored the magnitude of the proposed changes and the potential financial implications for both Ireland and Britain.

The document further explores the ramifications for the loyalist community residing in Northern Ireland. It contemplated the establishment of either an independent rump state encompassing non-Catholic majority areas or a specialised administrative arrangement within the United Kingdom, to ensure that human and civil rights were observed towards the minority Catholic population.

“One of the main attractions of such a solution for the loyalists would be the prospect of being masters in their own house,” the paper said.

Yet the paper’s underlying tone was tinged with caution and skepticism.

It ominously concluded that such a contentious undertaking could potentially escalate into a full-blown civil conflict.

“There seems little possibility, on present indications, because of the lack of trust between the two communities that repatriation could emerge as an agreed settlement without the prelude of large-scale violence,” the paper said.

“Repatriation seems more likely to be adopted as a solution following large-scale inter-communal violence in the wake of British disengagement.”