Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Is cúis áthais dom mo bhuíochas agus buíochas mo chomhghleacaithe a ghabháil le Mr. Ahern as bheith anseo inniu. Bhí a ráiteas iontach spéisiúil agus an-stairiúil. Is ócáid speisialta é go bhfuilimid ag ceiliúradh an chonartha le Mr. Ahern agus ag éisteacht leis ar an lá speisialta seo. Táimid an-bhuíoch de.

It is a great source of happiness and, indeed, an honour for me to thank Mr. Ahern for being here today. I know that he is generous with his time and willing to do so many of these events. On a parochial level, I know that he has many good friends in the Cavan community in Dublin and that we share a number of those friendships. In that regard, I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciate the fact that he did a very interesting interview with my neighbour, Seán McKiernan, relating to matters around St. Patrick's Day, but not unrelated to today's work.

It is typical of Mr. Ahern that he generously recognises all the other actors in the peace process - our own Senator McDowell; the father of our colleague, Senator Currie, who carries that baton very well; the former Deputy, Gerry Adams; Martin McGuinness; and the former Taoiseach, John Bruton - we are very proud of the stewardship that he continued to give the Good Friday Agreement. When he came into power, he recognised it. We wish him well at the moment.

Mr. Ahern brought enormous qualities to the negotiating process. He brings with him an extraordinary emotional intelligence. That is a very necessary quality in these instances. He obviously has great negotiating skills. He could put himself in other people's position, which is so important.

It was fascinating to hear his first-hand account of the history of the period. It is the first time that I had the privilege. It is a first for most people because, as Mr. Ahern said, he chose today to go into the detail. It is interesting that he did because the Seanad was part of the initial apparatus at the foundation of the State and it has been a critical voice. Many Northern voices have been here to great effect. It is fascinating that Mr. Ahern should have done that today here. We are grateful for that. It is a further recognition of the Seanad and of his subtle understanding of history and his appreciation of every position.

I might digress to welcome the guests, including my old friend and former colleague, Donie Cassidy, with whom I served for some time.

The Good Friday Agreement's primary success was to bring the violence to an end. Like you, a Chathaoirligh, I used to put on the radio in the morning with great apprehension and fear. It was wonderful to see the violence stop. There are of course legacy issues to be dealt with, and they have been, and will be, cited.

Mr. Ahern's very wise words about Irish unity are appreciated and should be borne in mind by us all as we approach the future. It is a great occasion. I thank him for being here. I am delighted to be part of it.