I was one of a group of bleary-eyed journalists and government officials who boarded an early-morning plane at Dublin Airport 40 years ago this week, clutching an Aer Lingus ticket listing the destination as: “unknown”. We knew we were on our way to the signing of a deal between Irish and British governments on the future of Northern Ireland, but the venue was a secret.
Before the plane took off, there was speculation about whether it would be Dromoland Castle in Co Clare, Hillsborough in Co Down or even somewhere in England. As the plane headed north up the Irish Sea coast it quickly became clear that we were on our way to Hillsborough.
After landing at Belfast we were taken by bus past groups of protesting loyalist demonstrators to the pretty village of Hillsborough.
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