The November 1994 crisis over the extradition to Northern Ireland of a paedophile priest was generally seen in Ireland as marking ‘a watershed in the political life of the state’. It provoked unprecedented public interest, raised fundamental questions about democracy and appeared to crystallize the long process of state-church realignment which has been taking place in Ireland for more than two decades. This paper reflects on the repercussions of the crisis, from a personal perspective, and especially with regard to changing gender relations in the Republic and the emergence of peace in Northern Ireland.
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