Mo Mowlam visits Maze Prison, Northern Ireland

Jan 1998

Mo Mowlam (1949-2005) was one of the most popular politicians to emerge in the New Labour period. She served as MP for Redcar, Yorkshire from 1987 to 2001, and as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1999-2001). However, she is perhaps best known for her role in overseeing the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, in her capacity of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1997-1999). Mowlam was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1996, and whilst she made a full recovery from the cancer itself, the radiotherapy she had received resulted in balancing problems. In August 2005, it was reported that she was critically ill in hospital after sustaining head injuries in a fall. As per her living will, she was not resuscitated and died on February 19th, 2005.

The video above is footage from Northern Ireland’s RTÉ News. It shows Mowlam visiting loyalist prisoners in the Maze prison near Belfast in 1998, to encourage them to join the peace process. It later emerged that Mowlam’s visit had been hugely influential in encouraging paramilitaries to return to the negotiating table. Here, she explains that the only way forward for the peace process was for both sides to ‘take a proactive stance’ and continue talks.