Belfast Telegraph Asks If Northern Ireland Was Left in the Right Hands after the Good Friday Agreement

On the 10th April 1988, the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement was signed, bringing an end to 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland. Westminster set up a devolved government in Stormont that year to allow Northern Irish politicians the ability to make their own decisions on key aspects of Northern Irish life. That same devolved government hasn’t sat since February 2022 in protest to the Northern Ireland Protocol. 

Independent agency The Public House have launched a new campaign for Belfast Telegraph across TV, press, and social promoting the latest special edition of Belfast Telegraph’s In Focus series: ‘Good Friday Agreement: In Focus’. 

The collage aesthetic of the campaign draws on the Belfast Telegraph’s ability to craft intricate yet unifying narratives through their newspaper. The use of hands as a creative device is a particularly interesting feature, as they have always played such an important role in Northern Ireland - from signing, shaking, and power-sharing, to absolve themselves of responsibility during Brexit.

Lucy Dougan, marketing manager for Mediahuis said “As the 25th-anniversary approaches, we are using this week of dedicated coverage to explore the legacy of the Good Friday Agreement with a wide array of unique features and investigative pieces across all our platforms and verticals. As Northern Ireland’s newspaper, we aim to bring issues that matter to local people to the fore, holding power to account, and The Public House have helped us to communicate this with the ‘In Focus’ campaigns.” 

Mikey Curran, associate creative director, The Public House said “Being from NI, I have a rosy sense of nostalgia for the early GFA days. Paramilitary ceasefires, British Army withdrawals, and peace initiatives were all huge wins, but the stance of politicians in recent years has been to use the GFA as a shield from their responsibilities. I hope to find clarity on the outcomes of the last 25 years in Belfast Telegraph’s latest supplement. Our campaign is another example of the Bel Tel not being afraid to ask the big questions and really tell it like it is.

‘Tell It Like It Is' is Belfast Telegraph’s brand positioning which has led to campaigns challenging the status quo and views on the environment, urban regeneration, and vaccine rollout programmes in Northern Ireland over the past two years. It cements the news publisher’s position as Northern Ireland's trusted news source. 

This Public House was Ireland’s most awarded creative agency of 2022, driven by the philosophy that ‘Boring Doesn’t Sell’. Their roster of clients is made up of ambitious Irish brands including FBD Insurance, Mediahuis Ireland, Dunnes Stores, EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum, and Barnardos Ireland.