The "resounding Yes" to the Belfast Agreement has made it clear that the day of the men of violence is over, according to the President, Mrs McAleese.
"To those in whose hearts the impulse of violence still festers, whoever you are, you have been given your answer. It has been expressed as never before and in the clearest possible terms", the President said. "You are the past. The peace-builders, the bridgebuilders are the future."
Speaking at Aras an Uachtarain after the results were announced, the President said there was "a compelling duty on each one of us" to isolate "the bullies who would drag us back to a past which promises nothing". All had a duty also to "painstakingly" promote "respect and reconciliation".
President McAleese thanked those "who came out in huge numbers and courageously committed themselves to building a peaceful society where there will be equality and respect between our rich cultures and traditions".
She added that the sheer scale of their voices "tells us that we can be supremely confident in our ability to make this agreement work and work well".
The President said her thoughts turned to "those whose lives have been so tragically blighted by these past decades of shameful violence".