Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

If there was one over-riding message that came out of recent Northern Ireland related events it was one of unity of purpose, people coming together for a common cause. That common cause had nothing to do with sectional interests; it was about Ireland. If one considers the different elements of what we have been discussing here today, the attendance of the DUP members at the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body meeting in Killarney was an acceptance by them that their democratic mandate was respected and that people expected them to act on that, in the same way the IMC report has underlined clearly that republicans have committed themselves to the Good Friday Agreement and their responsibilities in that regard.

The 1916 commemoration was very important for all people of a republican outlook because in many ways it showed the legitimacy of our aspiration and indeed the legitimacy of the 1916 Rising. From now on we must in some way engage on a daily basis, not just in formal meetings or commemorations, to highlight the issues that have divided us in the past and the wrong perceptions that were put out, often for political expediency. We must examine the ways in which the formal and other elements on this island can interact because I have no doubt that we are very close to the endgame. Thousands of people have made a contribution to that.