Unionists fiercely resist calls for a border poll for on a United Ireland, but that was not always the case.
David Trimble campaigned for a poll in 2002 but was dismissed by British prime minister Tony Blair
Formerly secret Irish government records show the SDLP and Dublin were heavily against the idea.
Other newly released Dublin files reveal former taoiseach John Bruton was suspicious not only of Sinn Féin and the SDLP, but even his own Department of Foreign Affairs.
State Papers reveal Mr Bruton – who was taoiseach from 1994-97 – was wary of the views of both parties on what nationalists truly wanted.
Other files reveal that a young John F Kennedy was happy enough with the partition of Ireland and that Roger Casement was a source of controversy long after his death.
Ralph Reigel from the Irish Independent has been examining the papers – he joins Ciarán Dunbar.
What Dublin’s secret files reveal about Northern Ireland
