Good Friday Agreement printer highlights role in historical moment

W&G Baird, which prints Ulster Business, was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Office in 1998 to print the first copies of The Good Friday Agreement, which served as the foundation for peace in Northern Ireland.

The company – which also the first owner of the Belfast Telegraph – printed hundreds of thousands of copies of the historic document, which were distributed to government officials, political parties, and the public in Northern Ireland, the Republic, and elsewhere in the UK.

On April 10, the agreement was signed by Tony Blair (then British Prime Minister), Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and the majority of political parties from Northern Ireland.

“It’s a proud day for the entire team at W&G Baird,” Patrick Moffett , managing director of W&G Baird, said.

“Twenty five years ago, our print presses worked tirelessly to print the 36-page landmark document that laid the groundwork for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, following 30 years of The Troubles.

“I remember the day the job was on the presses, it was a huge honour but we did feel the pressure to get it just right.

“I was handed the very first copy, hot off the stitching line by our pre-press manager, Gary Hull.

“He was meticulously checking that all the pages were in the correct order before running such a massive job.

“I gave it the full once-over, triple-checked all was present and correct, and swiftly told him to keep it hold of it! After that, I totally forgot about it. Gary saved it safely.

“When the anniversary of the Agreement came up in conversation a few weeks back, Gary reminded me of the story and brought the copy he kept safely, to me! I had no idea we still had it.”

“Over the years, we have printed many important documents, but the Good Friday Agreement remains the most significant. In 1862, the Baird brothers founded the company with a single letterpress. Today, the company uses the latest printing technology including robots and specialist finishing machines.

“We have a team of over 90 staff based in Antrim, and operates one of the country’s largest 24/7 sheet-fed print rooms using the most advanced equipment in the sector.”

W&G Baird – which was founded in 1862 – provides lithographic printing, digital printing, and large-format printing for all sizes of jobs.