Irish Examiner view: The first of many very good Fridays

Though devolved government in the North remains a tenuous aspiration, we remain forever in the debt of the visionaries who brought peace to our land 25 years ago

The signing of the Good Friday Agreement was a 'truly remarkable, emotional, and historic' occasion. Picture: Dan Chung/PA Wire

There was a time in this country when Good Friday was notable only for the devotion shown by the faithful in the ceremonies pertaining to the crucifixion of Christ and his death at Calvary.

However, on Good Friday in 1998, the religious significance of the day became secondary as an agreement was reached in Belfast which was forever to change the lives of practically every single person on this island.

It was noted in this column in this paper on the day as “a truly remarkable, emotional and historic” occasion on which peaceful revolution had been achieved “based on negotiation, persuasion, compromise and consent” and provided “a real prospect that the Armalite will finally be superseded by the ballot box and constitutional politics.”

The Examiner’s editorial of the day did point to the complexities which lay ahead — the decommissioning of arms by paramilitary forces, the freeing of convicted terrorists, and the suspicion that the agreement would be wrecked by militants on either side of the political and sectarian divide.

There have, of course, been many hiccups in the quarter-century since, but the primary aim of the Good Friday Agreement was to finally put an end to the violence which had wracked the six counties since the late 1960s and cost over 3,500 lives in a period given the soubriquet ‘The Troubles’.

Our editorial that day praised instrumental figures such as John Hume, David Trimble (then leaders of the SDLP and UUP) and Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam for their “outstanding contributions” and “tireless work behind the scenes".

Place in history

Others, such as mediator and US senator George Mitchell, taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and British prime minister Tony Blair were “assured of their place in history” for their commitment in bringing the deal to a successful conclusion.

It was, we maintained at the time, “a rare opportunity for a new beginning based on the principles of inclusive and constitutional politics”.

It was also, we noted, “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”.

These were prescient thoughts on an agreement that was unprecedented in its scale and ambition 25 years ago. On this Good Friday, it is obvious we have not solved all our problems and devolved government in the North remains a tenuous aspiration. But we should remain forever in the debt of the visionaries who brought together the varied parties to secure this deal and bring peace — albeit sometimes a fraught peace — to our land and also to those who have fought hard to keep its honourable aspirations alive.

Good Friday 1998 was a very good Friday indeed — as was noted at the time by John Hume — but each one thereafter, where we have a chance to live in peace and relative harmony, is also a very good Friday.