Fears were expressed at Stormont in 2001 that the escalating Holy Cross dispute could have led to other schools in Belfast being blocked in retaliation, newly declassified files reveal.
Efforts by Executive ministers to end the loyalist protest at the Catholic girls’ school in north Belfast are detailed in official notes from the time.
The Holy Cross dispute in 2001 made headlines around the world as loyalist residents staged protests against Catholic families walking their children to a school in the area.
Some of the protests became violent and police in riot gear were deployed to protect the schoolgirls as they made their way to and from the school.
The newly released files contain a document titled “Follow up to 26 July Executive: North Belfast”, which set out the steps being taken to address the situation before the start of the new school term in September.
The note, which was sent to Stormont ministers, says: “The school access issue has arisen from, and become embroiled with, wider interface issues and community tensions in the area.
“CCMS (Council for Catholic Maintained Schools) and the board of governors (BOG) of the school have sought to keep the two issues separate to avoid education becoming a political football.
“There is an ongoing risk that other schools could be blocked in retaliation (eg Cliftonville Primary) but CCMS and the BOG have worked to prevent such an escalation.”
The note adds: “If the situation is not resolved by September, access through the back gate can be maintained through St Gabriel’s secondary school on the Crumlin Road, as happened at the end of the summer term.
“While some parents will be content with this in the short term, there are others who are demanding access via the front gate from the Ardoyne Road and others who fear for the safety of their children under either arrangement.
“It hardly needs to be said that, even if access is maintained, it is not acceptable to have young children placed under such daily stress and parents and teachers kept in an ongoing state of anxiety.”
In November 2021, loyalists ended the protest after being promised tighter security for their area and a redevelopment scheme.
The declassified files reveal a range of correspondence between Stormont and Westminster ministers over the proposed measures.
In February 2002, then-direct rule security minister Jane Kennedy announced that work would begin on a CCTV system for north Belfast.
The previous month, a Catholic postman, Daniel McColgan, 20, was shot dead by loyalist terrorists as he arrived for work at a postal sorting office on the outskirts of Belfast.
The files contain a letter from peer Lord Hylton to then-first minister David Trimble and deputy first minister Mark Durkan in which he congratulates them for their work in bringing the Holy Cross dispute to an end.
He adds: “My information was that paramilitaries, or ex-paramilitaries, had manipulated both sides into being more intransigent than they might otherwise have wished to be.”
In their letter of response, Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan said: “We very much welcome the suspension of the protest at Holy Cross Primary School and the beginning of dialogue between local communities in north Belfast.
“Following an extensive round of meetings with elected and community representatives, we announced a series of measures to tackle social, economic and community issues in these areas.
“Central to this is a Community Action Project which aims to support and improve the capacity of local communities to plan for the future, interact with local agencies and avail of potential sources of funding.”
They added: “Sadly, the recent return of street violence and the sectarian murder of Daniel McColgan have demonstrated that there is much work still to be done.”
