Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 17 together.

I thank the Deputy for these questions. A programme of events at home and abroad is being developed to highlight the important anniversary and to mark the achievement of the agreement, which continues to be the cornerstone of our commitment to peace and reconciliation on this island. My Department is engaging with other Departments on the island of Ireland generally and through our overseas embassy network at home and abroad with a range of individuals, groups and institutions that are considering and planning conferences, seminars, cultural responses, acts of commemoration and other initiatives to mark the 20th anniversary of the achievement of this agreement.

The Government’s programme will include events in Dublin, Washington, London, and Belfast. These will include a revised production of Rising to Reconciliation, which was developed for the 18th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and uses poetry, images and music to reflect on the troubled journey towards peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. Events to mark the people’s vote for the agreement on 22 May are also under development. I hope to announce more details on the programme in the coming weeks.

All of these events will also be an opportunity to reflect on the peace process, as the Deputy suggested, past and present, to remember the loss of life during the years of conflict and to look back at all that has happened on the journey of peace and reconciliation since then. This journey is of course an ongoing one and the continued imperative to work to realise the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement will form an essential part of the Government’s approach to the 20th anniversary.

We intend to work with all communities and political parties to make sure that the commemorations are respectful and accurate. We hope they will provide inspiration for the new leadership that is needed in the context of some of the challenges we currently face in terms of ensuring that the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement can function and be re-established.

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