The SDLP

The struggle for agreement in Northern Ireland, 1970–2000

Seán Farren

‘An invaluable source for historians and political scientists interested in the recent history of Northern Ireland', Sarah Campbell, Irish Literary Supplement.

‘[Farren’s] experience and unique insight into how the SDLP struggled to maintain democratic values against a backdrop of terrorism and political intransigence are meticulously recalled … Farren’s book is an important and insightful look at a party which played a central role in the development of the Northern Ireland peace process and accordingly it is only apt that the book has been penned by one of its key players. [This book] demonstrates how the party challenged unionist majoritarianism and laid the basis for partnership politics and traces its role in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement', Darryl Armitage, Belfast Newsletter (October 2010).

‘[This] is the story of a small group of steadfast people who sustained the vision that the [Northern Irish] problem could be resolved by patient dialogue and mutual respect, and who totally rejected the use of violence. They held to this for three decades, in bad times and worse, thought killing and mayhem, through the murder of one of their members and attacks on others, assailed on all sides and personally vilified. When politics carries such risks, involvement is not for the dilettante. It took courage, as much as persistence and resourcefulness, to provide leadership for the Catholic and nationalist population in pursuit of a settlement that could be achieved by the patient building of relationships, and which utterly rejected the brutal alternative … Seán Farren’s is the account of an insider. It presents a fairly linear narrative of events, with a greater sense of order and coherence than was often apparent at the time … As an insider’s story, this is an invaluable guide, and a tribute to the leadership role of his party', Irish Independent (6 November 2010).

‘Farren’s insider perspective provides his account with both depth and richness … It is a top-down history from within the party … The strength of the book lies in its exhaustive discussion of SDLP manifestos and policy papers … One of the major strengths of the book is Farren’s coverage of the SDLP’s international connections to the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and Europe … Farren provides a comprehensive account of the important ways that the SDLP made peace possible in Northern Ireland. This is a critical contribution to a literature that all too often focuses on militants, not moderates… this is a welcome addition to the literature on the conflict … This book ably describes the SDLP’s important role in shaping Northern Ireland', Megan Myers, The Journal of British Studies (April 2013).

'An invaluable record for historians and students of the Troubles', Conor O’Clery, Irish Times (13 November 2010).

‘The most authoritative study to date on the SDLP … Farren has given us an excellent study', PJ McLoughlin, Irish Historical Studies (2011).

‘[Farren] has succeeded in making an extremely complex period in recent Irish history accessible to the general reader by presenting us with a series of carefully constructed chapters that explain the party’s development in the context of what was happening in Northern Ireland during the years under investigation … Farren’s painstaking account of the long years of intellectual and violent struggle between the two executives deserves a wide audience', Frank Bouchier-Hayes, History Ireland (May/June 2011).