Taoiseach pledges landmark monument to peace

PLANS for a landmark monument to be sited near the Border to commemorate the Northern Ireland peace process have been announced by Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

The Fianna Fáil leader also promised yesterday that the Government would establish a new anti-sectarianism fund to assist people in neighbourhoods at the interface of sectarian tension in Northern Ireland.

Announcing the initiatives, Mr Ahern said Fianna Fáil would commission a major international competition to design and construct a peace monument to be located in the Border region, if the party is returned to government. The Fianna Fáil leader said €5 million would be allocated to the project which would be on the same scale as Dublin’s Spire monument or the iconic Angel of the North sculpture near Gateshead in England.

“This monument will stand as a symbol of the achievements of all communities and individuals who have worked so hard to deliver peace these past decades. It will send out a clear message to coming generations that the peace we have built is to be cherished. It should never be taken for granted,” remarked the Taoiseach.

Mr Ahern said it was right that the commitment, determination and sacrifice of people from both traditions and from both sides of the Border should be commemorated. “What we have done here on this small island sent out a wave of hope across the world that conflict, no matter how ingrained, can be overcome.”

Speaking at the annual Fianna Fáil commemoration at Arbour Hill in Dublin yesterday, the Taoiseach used the occasion to focus on the party’s track record on Northern Ireland in a speech designed to highlight the Government’s successful handling of the peace process.

Mr Ahern also urged both dissident, republican and loyalist paramilitary groups to move towards peace.

Addressing a large gathering which included senior Fianna Fáil figures including Brian Cowen, Dermot Ahern, Dick Roche, Noel Dempsey and Micheál Martin, Mr Ahern said he believed that an entirely new level of understanding was emerging between the two traditions on the island.

Commenting on his recent historic meeting with the DUP leader, the first minister-designate of Northern Ireland, Ian Paisley in Dublin, the Taoiseach noted: “It is a landmark moment for our island when the leaders of both our great traditions can meet and work together in harmony and mutual respect.”

He also vowed that Fianna Fáil, if returned to power, would promote several north/south landmark projects which would include a dual carriageway from Dublin-Letterkenny/Derry and the Ulster Canal.

Mr Ahern said he wanted to deepen co-operation, especially between border communities and to tackle the evil of sectarianism.