Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We remember the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed 25 years ago. We look back on the period as a time when hope, courage and vision came into place when they were needed. We would like to see that in the future, particularly in light of the constrained circumstances in which we find ourselves.

Let us talk about the history of the North. Partition was copper-fastened 100 years ago through the threat of terrible and immediate war. There was a history of pogroms, supremacy and sectarianism. There were Northern nationalists who felt abandoned by the Southern establishment. There were many years of terrible conflict during which hurt was done to many. Much of that hurt still remains with many families. An awful lot of it is unresolved.

We saw huge courage and bravery. The difficulty with naming names is that you will leave somebody out. People spoke of John Hume, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, David Irvine, David Trimble and George Mitchell. I also remember the heavy lifting that was done by Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. They brought a movement with them, and history taught them not to trust the British Government in any way. Let us be clear, because people have spoken about this matter before. It was British Governments that operated death squads in Ireland. We all know the reality in this regard. I remember Patsy Kelly. In my constituency, I think of the Dundalk bombing in which we lost Hugh Waters and Jack Rooney. That happened on the same night in December 1975 as the attack on Donnelly's Bar. Three people were lost in the attack on Donnelly's Bar, namely, Michael Donnelly, Patrick Donnelly and Trevor Brecknell. We also remember Seamus Ludlow. These are people who were killed by amalgamations of British State forces and loyalists, who are absolutely up to their necks in British intelligence.

We are in a far more hopeful place now. The Windsor Framework shows a direction forward. Hopefully, the DUP can join the rest of us and we can form a Northern Executive and deliver for the people. Beyond that, there must be constitutional change. We can build something better for all of us who live on the island of Ireland.

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