Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I wish to associate myself with remarks made by other Senators and pay tribute to the role of Archbishop Eames in the peace process. For over 20 years, he was a sounding board and source of advice for successive Irish Governments. He also played a crucial role in the transformation of what is now referred to as the Hume-Adams initiative into the Downing Street Declaration, which was the catalyst for the first ceasefire. He played the critical role in persuading both the then British Prime Minister, John Major, and the then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, James Molyneaux, that the Hume-Adams initiative was worth supporting. He, along with the Reverend Roy McGee, also played a very important role in bringing about the loyalist ceasefires which followed the IRA ceasefire.

As Senator Maurice Hayes noted, we still witness appalling manifestations of sectarianism, an evil which is only slightly less heinous than paramilitary conflict. A considerable amount of work, which is probably best carried out within each religious community, must be done to combat sources of sectarianism and actively root out this dreadful scourge.

On a lighter note, thanks to Tipperary Mid West Community Radio, older people in Tipperary town can now listen to mass every Sunday in their own homes, an arrangement which should be replicated around the country.