Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

While the Good Friday Agreement is a shared story for every citizen of this island, I acknowledge from this side of the House the role our party, Fianna Fáil, played in that period, and, in particular, our former leader Bertie Ahern. Central to everything we say and think about the Good Friday Agreement must be the victims of violence in Northern Ireland, that is, the 3,700 who lost their lives and the just under 50,000 who were maimed and injured during that violent period of history.

I recently travelled to Northern Ireland as part of the Fianna Fáil committee on the Good Friday Agreement and Northern Ireland. We met people from the communities at the WAVE Trauma Centre. It was saddening and thought-provoking to meet the family of Columba McVeigh and Joe Lynskey's niece, who are still waiting for answers. The victims of this period of violence should not be forgotten and those who can still come forward to help with that healing should do so. As has been noted by many Deputies, this is the passing of a moment of history, and very soon many of the actors from this period, including both those who chose a democratic role and those who did not, will depart from public life but they should also play a role in bringing healing to this.

I was also taken by the fact that many people who had chosen a violent path during those decades put down their arms and wanted a peaceful path, on which they are to be commended. At the same time, I heard clearly in January that in both communities, nationalist and unionist, there are still strongmen who, although they may have given up on ideology, have taken up other forms of community enforcement. That needs to be denounced in this Chamber, and they need to put down the other forms of weaponry and tools they exercise in the community.

I commend the Tánaiste on his role in setting up a shared island unit. It has become obvious to me that not everyone in Northern Ireland, or indeed on this island, is defined by the colour of the flag, or the tradition of unionist or nationalist, with which they identify. A lot of people are concerned about the well-being of the entire island, and in that regard it is great to see that another brand of politics on this island discusses issues such as childcare, housing, education and everything else, including climate change, as I heard clearly when I was in Northern Ireland. I want to see a border poll and reunification in my lifetime but it has to happen at the right time. The worry is that if we move too soon, we will end up with a scenario such as that in Scotland, where there will be a once-in-a-lifetime referendum, never to be repeated. We want to see the Northern Ireland Executive working again.

I was thinking the other evening about the 800 years of bloodshed and societal division this island had to endure, with all the hurt that brought for everyone but especially for the people of Northern Ireland. That should not be forgotten in this 2023 context. World leaders such as Vladimir Putin may think they can seamlessly bring tanks over a border, take over a country and expect everything to be hunky-dory but it simply does not work like that. As Patrick Pearse stated at the grave of O'Donovan Rossa, "Ireland unfree shall never be at peace", and that mantra can be applied to any country. Shame on any world leader who, in this day and age, the age of enlightenment in 2023, thinks he can roll tanks over an international border, subvert a people, kidnap children and lead another world conflict. It simply does not work, and the trauma and impact of it is long lasting.

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