Hello and welcome to put us to down.

Hello and welcome to Brexit Republic RTE's podcast on Brexit.

The year is 1965.

Yes, it's another dip into the past which we do at about this time of the year through

the prism of documents in Irish foreign policy.

That's a joint project and initiative of the National Archives, the Royal Irish Academy and the Department

of Foreign Affairs. And two years ago, we covered 1962 to 1965. Well, the project has just

released another volume covering 1965 to 1969. And in this episode, you'll hear some very

familiar themes that are still relevant today

in the post-Brexit fallout on the island of Ireland.

Here's who I'm going to be speaking to.

My name is Kate O'Malley and I'm an historian with the Documents on Irish Foreign Policy Series.

I'm Michael Kennedy. I'm the executive editor of the Documents and Irish Foreign Policy series, and I'm also a history.

I'm John Gibney, also with a story with Documents and Irish foreign policy.

In the period covered in this volume, the UK is trying to get into the EEC, as is Ireland.

And in an effort to show its readiness, Ireland has been making strides to ease trade across the border with Northern Ireland.

I'll let Michael Kennedy first set the scene as it stands in 1965.

We're picking up in a period where Ireland is looking outwards, increasingly outwards further trying to increase the reach of its foreign policy globally.

Now, at the core of foreign policy are British-Irish relations,

relations with the EEC, and of course the UN is a signature area of Irish foreign policy.

But broader than that, Ireland is trying to increase its global reach

by trading with as many states as possible.

...