Back in the USA: Ceol: Alex Maskey reflects on the Good Friday Agreement

 

Back in the USA

The 25th anniversary of the GoodFriday Agreement has attracted considerable national and international interestin recent weeks. Part of this involved me travelling last week once again tothe USA. It must be four years since I was last there. While a lot has changedpolitically in that time both here and in the U.S. some things never change –among them the multiple stamping in red capitals of SSSS (SecondarySecurity Screening Selection) on ourboarding passes and suitcase labels. It is explained as a random processwhereby travellers are selected for ‘enhanced’ searches. I have been gettingthe SSSS stamp on every visit to andfrom the USA for over 20 years. Randomly routine. 

But apart from that the visit was an opportunity tocatch up with many old friends and thank them for the crucial role they playedin 1998 and continue to play today. If Irish America ever had any doubt aboutits political strength it was evident last week in President Clinton’s presencein a Cooper Union event in New York, the visit by President Joe Biden toIreland – North and South – this week and the expected presence of PresidentClinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at events in Belfast thisweekend.

The Cooper Union event was hosted by seven IrishAmerican organisations; The Irish-American Unity Conference; the Friends OfSinn Féin; Ancient Order of Hibernians; The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick;Brehon Law Society; James Connolly Irish American Labor Coalition; and LadiesAncient Order of Hibernians. President Clinton reminded the audience of thechallenges he then faced in engaging with the process, of the decisions hetook, including giving me that first all-important 48 hour New York visa inJanuary 1994 and his appointment of George Mitchell. He was forthright in hiscall for the Assembly and the Executive to be restored. 

The following night I spoke at a dinner hosted bythe Martin McGuinness Peace Foundation. Thanks to Marty Glennon and friends fortheir involvement in both events. 

The day after I returned from the USA I was inParliament Buildings. The Assembly Speaker Alex Maskey had organised a reallygood ceremony to mark 25 anniversary of the Agreement. Entitled – A NewBeginning – the event brought together many of those who had taken part in thenegotiations to reflect on the process and its outcome.

The choir of the Belfast School of Performing Artswere outstanding and the young people from the Youth Assembly who introducedeach of the speakers were a reminder that the future we are building is aninvestment in their future. Thanks also to Dana Masters for her songs. 

I said that I believe Jeffrey Donaldson when hesays that First Minister designate Michelle O’Neill taking up that office isnot a problem for him. So when the DUP has concluded its internal processes allof us can look forward to a new phase of the northern Assembly. No otherscenario is viable.

Of course that does not mean that everyone elseshould sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting for the DUP. The presentEnglish government has no real investment in the Agreement. So there is a heavyonus on the Irish government to use all the Good Friday Agreement mechanisms,including 

Our responsibility is for the future. The past willtake care of itself. Let’s plan for the day when we will all govern ourselveswithout the corrosive rule of London.

In the last 25 years we have fallen down manytimes. In fact we are very good at that. But we also are good at getting backup again. We are very successful at that. Let’s be successful once again.

 

Alex with his mother Teresa after his election in 2002 as Mayor.

This week Alex Maskey shares his reflections on thenegotiations for the Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago.

Reflections on the GFA 

They say a week is a long time in politics. Thismonth we mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreementand we all should reflect on why it is that the Agreement is not yet fullyimplemented. 

One thing is certain and that is that republicanismis stronger now across the island than it has been at any time in this pastcentury, with the continuing growth of Sinn Fein and emergence of civic UnitedIrelanders while other progressives search for a political home includingwithin a new Ireland. I believe that the GFA itself remains a work in progresshowever I also believe passionately that it has successfully set the templatefor all of our politics since 1998.

 I would say however with some frustrationthat many commentators often name check a number of participants and leaders inthe negotiations. I won’t take away from the contributions made by many inmaking the agreement possible and effectively helping to end what had been thelatest 30 year phase of conflict. But rarely do those same commentators getbeyond citing Martin McGuinness or even Gerry Adams (on a good day) asarchitects of the GFA despite the critical role played by them both and manyothers. But that’s a discussion for another day.

Building the peace process through the mid-ninetieswas met with many challenges. However progress was made though perhaps with twosteps forward and one step back until 1997 when all changed. In 1997 Sinn Feinwas eventually formally admitted into the Talks at Castle Buildings,Stormont. 

As a member of our Talks team I had the greatpleasure to work closely on a day to day basis with our late and dear friendSiobhan O’Hanlon who managed our administration with absolute professionalismand discipline. Part of my own work was to ensure that as many of our localparty organisers and elected representatives could visit to either observe orparticipate in some element of the Talks process in order to give as many aspossible greater insight into the process of negotiations. For us this wasessential to underline to our members the premise that negotiations shouldalways be much more than what goes on “in the room.” In the room or outside theroom as activists we all had to complement each other by campaigning, fightingelections, engaging with our communities and winning the arguments we faceddaily.

At times as we moved closer to an Agreement thepace was frantic which only served to keep our team even more focussed on thejob in hand. But I must say it was also at times nerve wrecking because we allunderstood how pivotal and important, even historical, that an actual peaceagreement could be reached under our watch.

Once agreement was reached on Good Friday under thebrilliant leadership of US Senator George Mitchel we knew that our work wasonly just beginning as we set about establishing a new Assembly etc but thatthe experience we had gained would serve us very well.

 

Ceol

I love music. All kinds of music. I listen to theradio a lot. I still have cassette tapes and vinyl from the 1970’s. I play themalso. And CDs. And an iPod. I also have music on my phone.  Every sooften my devices organise my music into a Favourite Mix. For those of you whoshare my love for music here’s a sample of what my phone has selected. Itincludes Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor. The Byrds. Them. 

KathleenThompson. Sharon Shannon. John Spillane. Christy. Lisa O Neill. The BothyBand.Cormac Breathnach. The Animals. Mary Coughlan.  Planxty. Liam OFlynn. Frances and May Black. The Gloaming. Bob Dylan. John Prine. Pavoratti.Leonard Cohen. Cormac Begley. Ry Cooder Altan. Willie Nelson. PaddyGlackin.John mc Cormack.  Caitlín Maude. The Chieftains.Ray Charles. PeteSeeger.  Sean O Sé. Clannad. The Saw Doctors. Luka Bloom.Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. Joe Heaney. Simon and Garfunkel. The Rolling Stones.Beatles. Skara Brae.  Woody Gutherie. Van Morrison. Willie Nelson.Eileen Ivers. 

Like books, dogs and children it’s hard to pick afavourite song or musician. I  love many many more. Let themusic keep your spirits high.