Good Friday Agreement archives — Irish Examiner view: At last, a rare opportunity for a new beginning

The Good Friday Agreement, signed 25 years ago this month, effectively brought an end to more than three decades of violence that had racked the country. Here is the Irish Examiner editorial that ran the day after the famous peace deal was signed

John Hume has been a rock of consistency, a leading conceptual thinker, and a man of courage. File picture: Leif Skoogfors/Getty Images

It was, as John Hume so succinctly put it, a very Good Friday, a truly remarkable, emotional and historic day. 

Symbolically, not since 1916 has Easter held such significance for the people of this island. The difference on this occasion is that the revolution has been peaceful, based on negotiation, persuasion, compromise and consent.

After decades of conflict and thousands of deaths, there is at last a real prospect that the Armalite will finally be superseded by the ballot box and constitutional politics. The honourable and balanced agreement which has been achieved would have been unthinkable six months ago.

But many hurdles have yet to be cleared, not least the backward-looking mindset of politicians from the dinosaur age whose political views are based on sectarianism and bigotry. In the shadows, militant elements, among them the LVF, the INLA, the Continuity IRA are waiting to wreck this peace plan. 

The danger of violence from extremists on both sides cannot be dismissed.  Still holding blindly to the past they fear to look into the future. But time is running out for them as the democratic process rolls onward. 

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In the coming referendums, the people of Ireland, North and South, will have an opportunity to say loudly and bluntly in the language of the ballot box — get off our backs and get on board the rolling bandwagon of peace. 

Many difficult issues of policy and principle also remain to be ironed out. They include the controversial proposal to extend 66% remission to prisoners; the equally contentious decommissioning of arms held by the IRA and loyalist extremists; the thorny questions of representation on the Northern assembly; policing; equality; human rights; making the cross-border bodies vehicles for North-South economic and cultural development and co-operation, and the milestone proposal to redefine the Republic's territorial claim on the North.

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Throughout this long journey to peace there have been outstanding contributions from many people, including those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Among them, John Hume has been a rock of consistency, a leading conceptual thinker, and a man of courage when his motives, and especially his efforts to bring Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin to the centre ground, were vilified.

Others who deserve great credit include Senator George Mitchell, whose patience, courtesy and conciliation skills saved the talks from collapsing on many occasions. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and Britain's prime minister Tony Blair, without whom a deal would not have been possible, are assured of a place in history. David Trimble, too, deserves praise for having the courage to sign a deal opposed by sections of his party.

Former Taoisaigh Albert Reynolds and John Bruton will also be remembered when the history of these momentous times comes to be written. And Northern Secretary Mo Mowlam's contribution to the historic agreement has been enormously significant.

It is hard to believe that a deal has finally been clinched. But when the euphoria has passed and the dust settles, it will require a great deal of hard work to earn the loyalty of all sections of the community for a settlement which has yet to be sold to the public. 

David Trimble has to sell it to the unionist family. Similarly, Gerry Adams has to sell it to Sinn Féin and its militant wing, the Provisional IRA, whose guns have thankfully remained silent for many months. Bertie Ahern must now get down to the business of energetically selling it to the electorate in the Republic.

This is a rare opportunity for a new beginning based on the principles of inclusive and constitutional politics. It is a time to leave the past behind and look towards a brighter future, a time for breaking down barriers and divisions and making this historic peace settlement work for the common good of all the people of Ireland.