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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Rory Carroll, Ireland correspondent

‘Our hopes were so high’: the women who caught the mood of the Good Friday deal look back, 25 years on

Northern Ireland Observer Paul Hackett Paul McErlane Sinn Féin Belfast Brexit DUP European Union
Jane Morrice and Ann McCann
Jane Morrice and Ann McCann with the photograph of their embrace on the front page of the Observer of 23 May 1998. Photograph: Paul McErlane/The Observer

They were two women in a crowd, neither famous nor powerful. But their joyful embrace embodied a moment few had believed possible: peace in Northern Ireland.

It was Saturday 23 May 1998 and the result of a referendum on the Good Friday agreement had just been announced. Setting aside fears and uncertainties, 71% of the population had voted in favour.

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