Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important topic and to support the Government's amendment to the motion. I thank Sinn Féin for tabling the motion given that next Wednesday, 22 May, will mark the 15th anniversary of the ratification by referendum of the Good Friday Agreement. The Good Friday Agreement is arguably the most important agreement of our time. In 1998, it represented an historic breakthrough in the Northern Ireland peace process by committing all participants to exclusively democratic and peaceful means of resolving differences.

The Agreement underlines the legitimacy of seeking a united Ireland while also recognising the legitimate wish of a majority of people in Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. Most important, it enshrines the principle of consent by stating: "It is for the people of the island of Ireland alone, by agreement between the two parts respectively and without external impediment, to exercise their right of self-determination on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given, North and South, to bring about a united Ireland, if that is their wish, accepting that this right must be achieved and exercised with and subject to the agreement and consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland."

As Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, I am in ongoing engagement with my counterpart, the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Carál Ní Chuilín, MLA. We have jointly launched a number of initiatives in Belfast and Armagh, and we plan to launch many more during our terms of office. My Department and the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure co-sponsor two North-South implementation bodies, namely, Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga. Waterways Ireland, which is the largest of the North-South implementation bodies, carries out important work. One of the projects it is currently progressing is the restoration and reopening of the Ulster Canal between Clones and Upper Lough Erne. Planning permission has been granted by Cavan County Council, Monaghan County Council, Clones Town Council and, more recently, the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment planning service. I have established an interagency group to explore funding options for advancing the Ulster Canal project, including existing funding streams and leveraging funding from other sources. The group comprises county managers from Monaghan and Cavan county councils, the director of leisure development and arts from Fermanagh District Council, representatives from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Fáilte Ireland, the Strategic Investment Board, Waterways Ireland and senior officials from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The next meeting of the interagency group will take place later this week. This interagency approach has been effective elsewhere and I suggest it could be used for similar projects in future.

An Foras Teanga comprises two separate agencies. The first is Foras na Gaeilge, which has the principal responsibility of promoting the Irish language in every aspect of life throughout the island of Ireland. The second is the Ulster Scots Agency, which has the principal responsibility of promoting the Ulster Scots language and culture both within Northern Ireland and throughout the island of Ireland. In my role as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and especially in the context of the North-South bodies co-sponsored by my Department, I attend North-South Ministerial Councils and other events on both sides of the Border, as well as events related to these bodies and cultural or heritage developments on the island.

I am acutely aware of the importance of the Good Friday Agreement and see at first hand the positive impact it has had for the people who live and work on this island. The agreement has effectively transformed political relations in Northern Ireland, on the island and between Ireland and Britain. Relations between the Republic and the UK have never been stronger and the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic has never been better. What is happening now certainly was not happening 20 years ago. While I understand why people are concerned about the lack of progress, it has in fact been significant. I have been in this House 30 years but I never thought I would see the day when we would be able to travel freely to Belfast or any other part of Northern Ireland without fear or intimidation. I love visiting Belfast. It is a wonderful city with a special atmosphere thanks to the Good Friday Agreement and all the people, including Deputy Adams, who were involved in putting it together. We would not be enjoying peace on this island but for the Good Friday Agreement. The Government has reiterated its commitment to working with the British Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly to ensure is fully implemented. The Tánaiste gave his commitment that progress will not be allowed to slow or held back.

I have a great personal interest in the language and we are prepared to offer any advice or support we can based on our own experience. The Minister of State at my Department with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, Deputy Dinny McGinley, has offered his advice on several occasions. This is an area in which we can make considerable progress. I was heartened to visit Coláiste Feirste while on a recent trip to Belfast. An joint arts project has been developed by both communities and there is great interest in the Irish language among the Unionist community. This is a very positive development.

The Good Friday Agreement commits us to a spirit of tolerance and mutual trust. It is only through tolerance that we will understand the differing views and experiences that combine to produce the shared history of all who live on the island of Ireland. I am acutely aware of the importance of tolerance and mutual respect in my role of leading and guiding the decade of centenaries commemorative programme for the Government. In this role I chair an all-party Oireachtas group on centenary commemorations, which is advised by an expert group of historians headed by Dr. Maurice Manning and assisted by Dr. Martin Mansergh. Deputy Ó Snodaigh is an active participant in that group. The primary focus of our commemorative programme is to follow events as they happened 100 years ago up to the centenary of the 1916 rising. From that point, we will then follow the events that unfolded up to the Civil War. The period between 1912 and 1923 was one of immense change for Ireland. In a mere decade the social and political landscape changed completely. Throughout 1912 and 1913 the debate on home rule had taken place in the House of Commons and House of Lords. Alongside the great agreements reached in recent times, including the Downing Street declaration and the Good Friday Agreement, we should not forget that the Home Rule Bill stands as one of the defining moments in the relationship between Ireland and the United Kingdom. To understand the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the Treaty of 1921, the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the joint declaration and the Good Friday Agreement, we must also understand home rule because this is when the divisions appeared on this island. I advise Members to read the debates that took place in the House of Commons, including what was said by Redmond, Carson, Craig and Dillon.

The debate set future boundaries. Students of history need to understand fully what took place during the Home Rule debate if they are to fully understand subsequent events.

Later this year, we will commemorate the centenary of the foundation of the Irish Volunteers and suffragette movement as well as the Dublin lockout. Three major commemorative events have taken place in Northern Ireland. We had an event to commemorate the centenary of the Balmoral review, Ulster Day, which marks the signing of the Covenant, and an event to commemorate the centenary of the establishment of the Ulster Volunteers in January 1913. All the commemorations passed peacefully and without violence. Next year will provide an opportunity for the Republic and Northern Ireland to commemorate their shared history in the First World War. Moves are afoot in both communities in Northern Ireland and here in the Republic to have shared commemorations of 1914 next year.

The Good Friday Agreement provides a unique opportunity to make further progress on this island and work closer together as a community. Without the Agreement, the House would not be discussing this motion. Notwithstanding claims to the contrary, I believe we have made major progress on the island.

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