Gerry Adams was "speaking to himself" earlier this week when he called on the IRA to abandon violence and embrace democratic politics, Tánaiste Mary Harney said last night, reports Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent, from Cork.
Speaking at the opening of the Progressive Democrats' conference in Cork last night, Ms Harney called on the "tiny minority" who had not abandoned violence and criminality to listen to the views of the Irish people.
"Twenty-six years on, if there is any legacy that we owe to Pope John Paul, it is that we abandon violence in all its forms for good. There is no excuse for it, there never was," she told reporters.
"Sinn Féin and the IRA are the same organisations as far as I am concerned. In many respects Mr Adams is speaking to himself" in appealing to the IRA, she said.
"Actions speak louder than words in these matters."
In her speech at the opening of the PD conference she said three generations of Irish people had spoken in separate important votes of the 20th century: the 1922 Treaty vote, the 1937 vote on the Constitution, and the 1998 vote on the Good Friday agreement. These had one thing in common: "democratic, non-violent politics, based on the rule of law.
"How many more times should it take for the message to sink in? None, is our answer. We have spoken. It is not time for the people to speak again; it is time for a small minority to listen finally."
Noting that 20 years had passed since the foundation of her party, she said its founder, Des O'Malley, had "heard the call of conscience over the cult of personality. The Progressive Democrats were formed and the country broke free from the vice grip of civil war politics".
The party had rebelled against the undermining of democracy, the destruction of the economy and the loss of hope. "In 1985, we set out to blaze a trail for the modern, European liberal democracy we now have, a progressive and prosperous democracy, one ruled by law: one law, one State, one Army, one Constitution."
She said this year also marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. "This was a tremendously important milestone in relations between Britain and Ireland."
She and others had voted for the agreement even though Fianna Fáil at the time did not do so. "The politics that instructed me and others to vote against it were entirely bogus. The national interest was wrongly identified with party interest.
"Opposition for its own sake reached the lowest point. But it was the agreement, not those type of politics, that stood the test of time, and it was implemented by all parties in government."
Noting that she was speaking in Cork, she paid tribute to former minister for foreign affairs Peter Barry - "a fine Corkman" - for his role in negotiating the Anglo-Irish accord. She also paid tribute to the former leadership of the SDLP, John Hume and Séamus Mallon, who are retiring as MPs. "They were the true, peaceful civil rights leaders in the North, the original and the best."
She said that by formalising co-operation between the Irish and British governments, the Anglo-Irish Agreement had facilitated the Downing Street Declaration, the ceasefires and the Framework Document, all of which culminated in the Belfast Agreement of 1998.
"Every responsible political party is committed to the bedrock values of our democracy, of our republic. It is those values, not a bogus mythology of political violence, that underpin the Good Friday agreement, our Constitution and the European Union." In a tribute to the late Pope John Paul ll, she said it was difficult to think of anyone who had made a more positive impact on the world in the 20th century.
"He touched more people than anyone else. He reached out to other religions, expanding tolerance and respect. We are all privileged to have witnessed him in our own country and around the world over 26 years."
She said Europe had been greatly shaped by his actions and influence, and that he had shown leadership by standing for his beliefs, even when they were not popular. He had shown how one person could lead events.
"I and others did not always agree with some of his positions. But we were all deeply impressed by his commitment to human rights, to the faith he proclaimed, and to the poor of the world. He has left a lasting legacy in history and in people's lives."