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Later this morning, representatives from both sides of Northern Ireland’s sectarian divide will visit Leinster House to attend a meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
Among the attendees will be Seán Murray, a former member of the IRA who has served 12 years in jail, and Jackie McDonald of the UDA who has served four years in prison. They will join a discussion on how the peace process will progress in the next ten years.
Here the chairman of the committee, Dominic Hannigan TD, explains the work of the committee and outlines the need to hear voices from both communities in Northern Ireland.
The Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement was established after the peace agreement was overwhelmingly voted for through referenda in the north and south of Ireland. The committee is unique in Ireland and Britain, as the membership consists not only of TDs and Senators from the Oireachtas, but also of the 18 Northern Irish Westminster MPs.
This provides political representatives from across the island with a forum to discuss issues directly relating to the Good Friday Agreement, but also more generally issues that affect both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
I was elected chairperson of the committee in June of this year. During my term as chairperson, whilst of course addressing the economic problems challenging us North and South, I intend to concentrate on ensuring progress on work already underway – such as in the all-Ireland tourism strategy, language promotion and North/South economic cooperation.
Additionally I hope to encourage movement on outstanding issues in relation to the Agreement. I also intend to place a strong emphasis on peace and reconciliation on our island.
More peace walls have been erected since the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. Unfortunately, scenes of rioting appear on our TV screens all too often. Still not enough children get to participate in cross-community projects. This is why we must make a more coordinated and determined effort to tackle the societal problems that continue to divide communities in the North.
Last week, the committee visited an Irish language and culture centre in the Belfast Gaeltacht Quarter. The centre recently had a new extension opened by President McAleese, and now provides the community with a wide range of cultural facilities. The centre is part funded by Foras na Gaeilge, which along with the Ulster-Scots Agency forms the North/South Language Body, established under the Good Friday Agreement.
Members then went on to a presentation delivered by the Special EU Programmes Body – also established under the Agreement – which co-ordinates projects in the North and the Border Region funded by the European Union. Members were shown several peace and reconciliation initiatives, including the recently opened gate in a Peace Wall which has divided Alexandra Park in North Belfast for over seventeen years.
Today the committee will hear from speakers who come from diverse backgrounds. Two speakers, both prominent leaders from different traditions in Belfast, will address the committee. They will provide members with their community’s story – where they are and where they want to go. Joining the two speakers are the High Sheriff of Belfast and a community activist involved in promoting North/South relations.
We hope that the contributions from this diverse group of speakers will bring a new level of shared understanding of the real issues that are faced by communities in the North.
I hope to learn from the speakers so that we can determine the direction of the committee over this term. Through having speakers from different backgrounds address the committee, and visits to different parts of Northern Ireland and the border region, I hope that we will develop a better understanding of the issues.
Through addressing the legacies of the past, and developing cross border initiatives, hopefully we can then make a meaningful contribution to the future.
Thirteen years on from the Good Friday Agreement, we all, North and South, must evaluate how we have progressed in the spirit of the Agreement and where we want to go. Recent attacks on the peace process have sent us a direct signal that our hard-won peace is something we must never take for granted.
This committee provides us with many opportunities to work together to address all of these concerns – whether they be regarding the peace process, social issues, or the economic problems that affect us all. I am excited about facing the challenges of the term ahead and hope that the committee can make a real impact for the betterment of all of us living on this island.
Dominic Hannigan is a Labour Party TD for Meath East, and Chairman of the Joint Committee for the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
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The title says it all. No need for a comment:-)
As said best by Thoreau, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” And this, they consign themselves to for fear of what others might think.
Being there to listen without judgement is a great gift to somebody in despair.
Yes it does, Leslie Alan Rock.
If this country had more men of the character of John McCarthy we wouldn’t be where we are.
john, i met you at the launch of “Vision for Change” i am still facing massive stigma every time i go into A&E and i do so now often due to crohns and other serious physical health issues. Yes, John, many survive the original trauma of life events, but we consider this history when others dont allow us do just that! i feel a heavy albatross around my neck, that is stigma, ignorance and consultants!
Reading and listening to how he coped with motor neuron was inspirational. He believed in the medicinal use of cannabis to relieve the debilitating the effects of motor neuron.
The approach to mental distress in use today, with too much emphasis on medication and the medical model and not enough emphasis on a Psychosocial approach, is inadequate. He wanted forced Electric Shock treactment (ECT) banned. Very good article by John McCarthy in the health supplement of the Irish Times last October. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2011/1011/1224305573629.html
That has made me so sad to hear about john. Heard him on an interview on today fm only last month. Amazing even with his illness he kept fighting the stigma. Really sad.
Really good to see all the articles being published on the journal lately raising awareness of mental health issues. Great work but I still think the coverage of Kate Fitzgerald’s treatment at the hands of the Irish Times was really disappointing.
John, good article.
We’re also working to change attitudes and end stigma – here’s our video – feel free to share it
http://www.youtube.com/depressionhurtsvideo
You may have seen a little about #depressionhurts in The journal.ie
Fell free to get in touch
Norah Bohan @Talentcoop on Twitter e: talentcooperative@hotmail.com
In my experience the greatest ‘stigma’ around mental illness in this country is not so much the fear of being placed in the loony bin, but the sense that many behaviours are ‘normal’ and people just need to ‘pull themselves together’. The more likely response to mentioning depression is not so much ‘you should be locked away’ but ‘ah sure stop moaning and get on with it’. Not to mention the amount of self-medicating with alcohol that goes on, and is viewed as ‘normal’ in this country.
(Great post and not meaning to argue against it, just want to add my two cents to the reasons-for-stigma side of things!)
I have to agree Claire. I have had huge figts with friends re. my depression because they would rather tell me that I was “childish”, “making it all up” and to just “deal with it” instead of them trying to appreciate that I have a problem
Kevin Myers has a very questioning article in The Independent on the invisibility of suicide on the government agenda. Well worth a read http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/kevin-myers/kevin-myers-as-a-society-we-seem-paralysed-by-suicide-2984955.html
He did what hundreds of thousands of people wished to do. Speak open and honestly from the heart and from the mind, which salmon this country takes a hell of alot to do, people are running away everyday in towns and villages, from all age categories and depression and the people running away i believe are linked, it is the elephant in the room that some will voice their opinion on but for the majority myself included for whatever reasons why, we keep our mouths shut and let the pressure build
No harm but that is a load of crap about stigma. There is no evidence that stigma affects peoples perception of the mentally ill. It is behaviour that is the prevelent discrimination. I agree though that we must acccept mental illness and not discriminate. But please write accurate information. Evidence at Kirk (1974) and Phillips (1964).
Then why do children throw stones at the Mad Woman of Cork?
@Blaine….is this not what stigma actu
ally is….????
Seamus its a reaction against her persumably abnormal behaviour and could some people learn to spell a name right especially when it is printed in front of them #rude
@Blane: There definitely is a stigma. Anything which tries to address this is very welcome. Calm down.
yeah Blaine
‘Madness’ is a healthy reaction to a sick society.
if someone told me they had a mental health problem I would; listen, then remind them that they are human and MUST be kind to themselves and question negative ideas they have about themselves and others. Not easy but I believe it works with practice.
Honestly Mary, that’s a very simplistic way of looking at it. If it was that easy we would all be fine.
Siomha, just offering benefit of my experience with my depression. cognitive therapy would urge us to challenge our perceptions. perhaps what I am saying is simple . I didnt say it was easy. got to stop waiting for
others to understand. that might be too late.
i would also like to see more discussion around the subject of ‘sefl injury’ a very mis-understood behavioural response to trauma, i feel because itr is lasting, that is the effects remain and cannot be erased leaves a person open to stigma long after the issues around it have been resolved.
any more thinking on this one please.
Re: the selective mentioning of studies above leading to a slightly-bigger-conclusion-jump-than-is-warranted, an overview of several studies on mental health and stigma can be found here for anyone interested – http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/1982/pdf/1982-v11n02-p087.pdf
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