Pope John Paul II’s decision not to travel to Armagh on his visit to Ireland in 1979 was a severe disappointment to the Irish government, which felt it would be regarded as a victory for the then leader of the DUP, Ian Paisley.Newly-released state papers show that a note from taoiseach Jack Lynch’s office in July 1979 said that Lynch would recommend to Cardinal Tomás O’Fiach that the North be included in the papal itinerary.
‘‘Its omission would highlight the existence of the border and would be regarded as a victory by Paisley," the note read.
A telex from the Irish ambassador in London to the Department of Foreign Affairs in August 1979 reported a conversation with Gerry Fitt, leader of the SDLP, who said that, if the Pope did not go to Armagh, Catholics in the North would view this as a ‘‘victory for Paisley’’ which, in turn, would drive many young men ‘‘into the arms of the provisionals’’.
But in late August, after the killings at Mullaghmore and Warrenpoint, the Vatican issued a statement on the Pope’s visit in which it said: ‘‘With deep regret, due to the dreadful murders of recent days, it has now been decided not to include avenue in Northern Ireland in the papal visit."
The volatile situation meant that security would be high for John Paul II’s visit, as revealed by further documents in the newlyreleased state papers.
A security plan from the taoiseach’s department, dated September 12, observed that ‘‘all outdoor appearances by the Pope pose sizable security problems’’. It considered a range of possible attacks, such as bombs planted near altars where he would be saying Mass, sniper fire, attacks on the person or sabotage of the Pope mobile, the vehicle that would take the pontiff through the crowds.
Air traffic at Dublin Airport would be suspended for three hours around the time of the Pope’s arrival and no aircraft were permitted to flyover the pubic areas where he would be visiting.
The greatest risk to his security was considered to be the motorcade, ‘‘at slow speed’’, from the airport to Áras an Uachtaráin through built-up city areas. ‘‘It must be borne in mind, however, that if desperate persons plan to kill the Pope, no security measures which the gardaí could implement would guarantee the Pope’s safety," the plan said.
Further taoiseach department documents show that the government estimated the papal visit would cost the state around IR£3 million.
The visit was a Church rather than a state event, but the government decided departments would ask for repayment from the Church only for goods and services normally charged for on a commercial basis.
Most of the cost would go on security, a memo from the Department of Finance maintained, and the state would not charge the Church for this service.
The Department of Defence chose not to seek repayment for army and FCA members’ stewarding of events. However, it decided not to accede to a Church request for army personnel to dig latrines and erect toilets, ‘‘in view of the unemployment situation’’ in the country at the time.
The state papers also show that an amnesty for prisoners was another aspect of the papal visit of 1979.
A Department of Justice memo of September 20 said it was traditional to have a ‘‘gaol delivery’’ on such occasions, and that it had happened to mark the Holy Year in 1950 and the canonisation of Oliver Plunkett in 1975.
There were 68 prisoners considered eligible and they were to be given from a few days’ to 12 weeks’ remission, depending on the length of their sentences.
Recommended for exclusion were ‘‘subversives’’ in Portlaoise prison and other detention centres, and boys in Loughan House, the ‘special school’ in Cavan.
But prisoners were not to be released until the morning of the final day of the Pope’s visit.
It was considered ‘‘unwise’’ to set free a large number of offenders on the first day of the visit because many houses in Dublin would be empty (their owners being at the Mass in the Phoenix Park) and might be broken into by some of those set free.
‘‘And releases on Sunday [day two of the visit] would pose staffing and transport problems," the memo said.
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