Far-sighted Irish officials realised a landmark statement by Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Brooke, about Britain having no selfish economic or strategic interest in the province, offered a strategic opportunity to end 20 years of bloodshed.
Confidential papers released as part of the 1990 State Archive revealed Irish politicians, civil servants and academics recognised the statement as marking a critical change in British policy.
It transpired that the Brooke statement underpinned major elements of the subsequent Northern Ireland peace process.
Furthermore, a briefing paper stated that the overthrow of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a Conservative Party power struggle offered an opportunity for progress on a peace settlement.