December 9, 1973

The Sunningdale Agreement was signed on this day in 1973 by British Prime Minister Edward Heath, Irish premier Liam Cosgrave, and representatives of the Unionist, Social Democratic, Labour and Alliance parties of Northern Ireland. The agreement set up a Council of Ireland made up of a board and a power-sharing Consultative Assembly. The council’s primary focus was to give the Republic joint jurisdiction on issues concerning the North.