The recent release of over 10,000 previously secret government files at the National Archives in Dublin offers new insights into pivotal events from 1994 to 2004. Highlights include Boris Yeltsin’s vodka-fueled visit to Shannon, controversies over arms purchases from Israel, and significant critiques of British government actions regarding the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday. The files also shed light on loyalist paramilitary activities and notable concerns from former Irish Taoiseach Jack Lynch.