Tony Blair has given an exclusive interview with Newstalk for its latest podcast to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The former British Prime Minister has urged the current leadership in Northern Ireland to ‘understand and never forget how bad things used to be before we had the peace process and how much better they are today’.
Reflecting on his memories of negotiating the agreement in 1998 Blair said that ‘the possibilities of the future depend on honouring that commitment from the past’.
In Episode 4 of the 9-part series he also reflects that if he had been longer in government at the time he ‘might not have been so naive to think that you could go to Belfast and rescue the thing’.
Hosted by former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, the ‘As I Remember It’ podcast tells the story of the Good Friday Agreement as recalled by those who negotiated it and marks the first time in 25 years that they have reunited to reflect on the talks.
Produced by Newstalk, the podcast hears from all the main players in conversation with Ahern including former US President, Bill Clinton, and former US Senator George Mitchell in addition to former Prime Minister Tony Blair in a first for Irish radio.
Episodes 4 – 6 of the 9-part series are released today on all podcast platforms, with the final three episodes available next Thursday 9 March.
The interview featured with Tony Blair was recorded in Nov 2022.
