Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Míle buíochas gach duine. Thar cheann Seanaid Éireann, is mór agam fáilte ó chroí a chur roimh an iar-Thaoiseach, Parthalán Ó hEachthairn. Cuirim fáilte roimhe ar ais go dtí an Teach seo. On behalf of Seanad Éireann, it gives me great pleasure to extend a céad míle fáilte to our former Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, or rather to welcome him back. Níl aon ghá a insint don Teach cé hé an tUasal Ó hEachthairn. Tá a phortráid á taispeáint in aice láimhe i nGailearaí na Taoisigh. Is é an tUasal Ó hEachthairn an Taoiseach ag a raibh an dara tréimhse oifige is faide mar Thaoiseach aige riamh ó bhunú an Stáit.

Mr. Ahern needs no introduction to us this afternoon in this House. His portrait hangs nearby in the gallery of former taoisigh. He was the second longest serving Taoiseach in the history of our State and we thank him for being with us and addressing Seanad Éireann. We are here to talk about his significant role in the achievement of the Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago. The vote on the agreement was celebrated yesterday, and today is the closest sitting date to that significant milestone anniversary. The referendum 25 years ago yesterday was an historic referendum on our island, which saw an overwhelming majority of the Irish people, North and South of our Border, vote in favour of the Good Friday Agreement. This overwhelming democratic endorsement of an agreement demonstrated that people North and South, irrespective of creed, background, religion or political view, would not accept the violence of the past. It is appropriate that today in this House, the Upper House of the Oireachtas, we mark that overwhelming democratic support for the Good Friday Agreement in twin referendums. This was the first time since 1918 that the whole of Ireland voted together or, as I like to say, le chéile.The people voted decisively in favour, with majorities of 71% and 94% for the agreement.

This overwhelming democratic endorsement was the beginning of the end of three decades of conflict. Many of us are old enough to remember waking up to the news, reading the stories, knowing people affected and sharing the pain and anguish of loss. There was nothing inevitable about the Good Friday Agreement. For years before it, attempts had been made to end the violence, broker peace and forge a new way ahead. None had succeeded. It took leadership to achieve the agreement. I thank Mr. Ahern today for the role he played, along with other key figures across all political parties. I ask that we all remember those brave patriots who tried and fought so valiantly to bring peace to Ireland. We think today of the Currie family and the huge commitment Senator Currie's late father gave. We thank the Senator for her family's sacrifice as we remember her father and many others today. All of those men and women wanted to win peace and end conflict.

Mr. Ahern's leadership was strong, not in the sense of coercing people or imposing a view or mindset on them, but rather in compromise, creativity and courage. There were many setbacks and difficulties along the way to the Good Friday Agreement. There must have been many moments when he and others thought it would be easier to walk away, but people did not do so. Political leadership requires responsibility. The architects of the Good Friday Agreement were imbued with that sense and spirit of responsibility, but also with the sense of the time they were in and they duty they had. Mr. Ahern never gave in to despair and he dared to hope. Today, thanks to that hope, an entire generation can live, and has lived, free from the shadow of violence. Over the past few weeks, the country has rightly celebrated and commemorated this anniversary, from the Good Friday Agreement seminar yesterday in University College Cork, UCC, to the big event in Queen's University Belfast and all points in between. Members of the Government, all political leaders and all Members of the Oireachtas have participated in conferences. We think in particular of the one in Queen's University.

Of course, we are all mindful that we are not there yet and the process is not finished. As a serving politician, it is of profound regret to me that the Northern Ireland political institutions are not doing the vital work they were tasked with under the Good Friday Agreement. We all want to see Northern Ireland flourish. I ask all involved to strive to get the assembly and executive back up and running as soon as possible. We also need a framework for dealing with the legacy of the past in order to work towards genuine reconciliation. Putting in place an agreed framework on dealing with the legacy of the past has been, and will be, one of the most challenging aspects of the peace process, yet without an agreed framework for dealing with the past, genuine reconciliation cannot be completed.

Arising from the Good Friday Agreement and 25 years of peace and the progress it has brought, people are rightly turning their attention to the future and what it holds for Northern Ireland and its people. Some people will be very happy to remain part of the United Kingdom. That is their right. Others will aspire to a referendum on Irish unity. That, too, is their right. As Professor Brendan O'Leary stated yesterday in UCC, the agreement is partly about agreeing to disagree. This occasion, 25 years on from the agreement, gives us a chance not only to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the past but to learn from them. The agreement was only possible through leadership, vision and capacity for compromise, but it also needed political risk-taking. Mr. Ahern took that risk. Without the courage of the leaders from across the political traditions on these islands, we would not have a peace process to celebrate today.

As I said earlier, it is important that we keep to the forefront of our minds those men and women who worked to secure peace. Today is Martin McGuinness's birthday. We remember him. We remember the many families who have lost loved ones, including friends of mine who moved from the North to the South for a better type of life, in their minds, and sharing the same ambitions and hopes we all do.I thank the Members of Seanad Éireann for agreeing to my request to have Mr. Ahern address the House. It is only right that we celebrate this remarkable achievement and reflect on how, since 1998, the spirit of vision and leadership has brought change. I thank Senator McDowell for his role in successive Governments and his courage. Ar an ábhar sin, is mór agam cuireadh a thabhairt don Uasal Parthalán Ó hEachthairn Seanad Éireann a aitheasc. On that note, it gives me great pleasure to invite Mr. Bertie Ahern to address Seanad Éireann.