Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses from the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation for the great work they have done over the years. I have been in Glencree and have seen the valuable work it does for people from across the island. I think the witnesses said they are involving politicians, officials and groups and that there was a significant amount of statecraft and it was very welcome.

We now need far more statecraft regarding the legacy Bill before the House of Commons and the House of Lords. I attended the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Jersey and we made it quite clear to Steve Baker, the Minister of State for Northern Ireland, that this is simply unacceptable. We listened to members of Wave and many victims' groups that are horrified by it. We have very good support in the House of Lords and among many MPs. Steve Baker said there would be a few amendments to that Bill. I have not yet seen those amendments but I look forward to seeing whether they are really credible. In fairness to Steve Baker, he did listen and spent two and a half days on the matter. People from all sides were very thankful for the time he took at that meeting. I was in Westminster on Tuesday and the legacy Bill is an issue that has certainly divided people and we need to impress even further that it is not acceptable.

The Good Friday Agreement was an incredible event. Northern Ireland was a divided society. Much of the work that Glencree did was very important. Mr. Hynes spoke about the fears of unionists and how they need to be addressed if we want to talk about a united Ireland and border polls. Brexit has set us back many years. From the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly to this committee to the work being done, it is no secret that our entry into the EEC 50 years ago paved the way for the Good Friday Agreement. There were on average 28 meetings per day between officials in Brussels and trust and friendships were built. I recall how like most people in the west of Ireland during the 1950s, my father went to work in the UK. Somebody said that if somebody from the Irish Government wanted to go to the UK, after five or six weeks, they might meet the fourth in command in Whitehall. That has all changed because we joined the EEC together. People talk about the US, which was brilliant, and the Irish and British Governments but the EU effectively brought peace to this country. I am not saying that it is not recognised but we need to shout it from the rooftops. That is a significant void. I always remember Albert Reynolds and John Major and the friendships that were built up. Friendships were built up as a result of the Anglo-Irish Agreement and the Good Friday Agreement. That is something we need to address because we have the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly and the event in Westminster but we need to much more of that.

We talk about a united Ireland and we all think it is a one-way street. If we are going to have an agreed Ireland, we have to give up something. We have to dig deep and the sooner people in the 32 counties understand that, the better. One issue I always talk about is the relationship between Ireland and the Commonwealth. We left the Commonwealth in 1949 with the Republic of Ireland Act. The Ireland Act effectively recognised Northern Ireland. Tim Pat Coogan said that it was great that we declared a republic but that it deepened partition on the island. We did not have the kind of clubs such as language, cultural and sporting clubs to address it until we entered the EEC 50 years ago. I do not think anybody knows or pays heed to this but five years ago, Ireland applied to be an observer at L'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, which is the French Commonwealth composed of 76 countries committed to the French language, Francophone culture, peace, human rights and sustainable development, and nobody has ever said anything about it. The poster in the French Embassy on Merrion Square states, "France, your nearest EU neighbour". It is great. Along with Germany and many other EU countries, France has been supportive but our nearest neighbour is the UK. We have had so many friendships and so many people working there and going back and forward but at the mere mention of a commonwealth of nations - not joining it but just having an association with it through sport, culture, education, legal matters and friendships - people say, "You can't have that". However, if we are going to have an agreed Ireland, we must dig deep and get rid of our - I will not say anti-Britishness - but our fears because if I was a unionist, I would have fears about a united Ireland. That is why I am saying we need to address those fears. The witnesses are the experts here and they have done great work. Politicians have views. I would like to hear the witnesses' views as well.