It grew out of the Downing Street Declaration of December 1993 when certain concessions were seen to be made by the British government towards a united Ireland. But the first thing to understand is that the IRA did not use the word 'ceasefire' in their statement of Aug 1994. After internal debate within the IRA and Sinn Féin the word 'cessation' was used instead. There was therefore at the start more than a hint of the temporary nature of what was being declared. Here is the beginning of the IRA statement:

"Recognising the potential of the current situation and in order to enhance the democratic process and underlying our definitive commitment to its success, the leadership of the IRA have decided that as of midnight, August 31, there will be a complete cessation of military operations. All our units have been instructed accordingly.

The statement also pointed out what some read as the temporary nature of the cessation when it ended with what certainly read like a caveat:

We note that the Downing Street Declaration is not a solution, nor was it presented as such by its authors. A solution will only be found as a result of inclusive negotiations. Others, not the least the British government have a duty to face up to their responsibilities. It is our desire to significantly contribute to the creation of a climate which will encourage this. We urge everyone to approach this new situation with energy, determination and patience."

The Downing Street Declaration was a breakthrough in some ways. It included the whole of the island of Ireland in making the decision for Irish unity. Prior to this the British government had always insisted that the resolution on Irish unity was solely an internal NI issue. But some of the wording used by the British gave nationalists cause to be cautious about British intentions. For example, the words that the British government had “no selfish strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland” was met with suspicion. The fact that there was no comma between 'selfish' and 'strategic' was much commented upon. This shows the level of distrust that existed [and exists] amongst the Irish towards the British government. The US President Bill Clinton was credited with playing a major role in putting the Irish side forward and bringing all to the table.

However, after a few years of bitter struggle to further negotiate the IRA abandoned the 'cessation' with the statement published on July 19 1997:

After 17 months of cessation in which the British government and the unionists blocked any possibility of real or inclusive negotiations, we reluctantly abandoned the cessation.

The IRA is committed to ending British rule in Ireland. It is the root cause of divisions and conflict in our country. We want a permanent peace and therefore we are prepared to enhance the search for a democratic peace settlement through real and inclusive negotiations.