The restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland represents "the dawning of a new era" for the island of Ireland and for Anglo-Irish relations, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today.
In the first ever address by a taoiseach to a joint sitting of the British houses of parliament, Mr Ahern said the Belfast Agreement had delivered peace and promise to Ireland by accommodating the rights, the interests and the legitimate aspirations of all.
Tony Blair applauds the Taoiseach following his address in the Houses of Parliament today. Image: PA.
He said that, after centuries characterised by division, conflict and resistance, "ours must and will be the last generation to feel the pain and anger of old quarrels.
"Let us consign arguments over the past to the annals of the past, as we make history instead of being doomed to repeat it," he said.
In his speech, the Fianna Fáil leader spoke of the depth and complexity of relationships between the islands which defied summary or platitudes.
He insisted the Agreement represented "a triumph of common interests over inherited divisions.
"Today is a new and glad departure in an old and extraordinary relationship. It is not an end of history. But it is a new beginning."
Mr Ahern said the "Irish Question" - "which had for so long been shorthand in these halls for a nuisance, a problem, a danger" - had been transformed.
In his address, he reflected on the shared history between Ireland and Britain and the partnerships between the two countries.
The Taoiseach spoke of how a new partnership of common interests between Ireland and Britain had emerged - a partnership of people, culture, business, sport and above all of peace.
Mr Ahern also paid tribute to his long term ally and friend Tony Blair, saying the prime minister's contribution to peace in the North had been exceptional.
"Tony Blair has been a true friend to me and a true friend to Ireland. He has an honoured place in Irish hearts and in Irish history".
Mr Ahern said: "British settlement, organised and otherwise, has given the island of Ireland a British tradition too - not just in history and language, borders and politics, but in a thriving community of unionist people proud of who they are, where they come from, and what they hope for."
He said the unionist community represented a "living bridge" between Ireland and Britain.
"The Irish Government fully respects their rights and identity. We value their voice, their vision and their future contribution to the life of the island of Ireland in whatever way it should develop," he said.
"As an Irish republican, it is my passionate hope that we will see the island of Ireland united in peace. But I will continue to oppose with equal determination any effort to impose unity through violence or the threat of violence," he said.
The Taoiseach admitted that there was still "a gnawing hunger for the truth about the loss of loved ones.
"The conflict has left many unanswered questions in its wake. Some of these are the subjects of ongoing or promised inquiries. In these days of hope and promise we must acknowledge the deep hurt and pain that linger in the hearts of so many and for whom the journey of healing and reconciliation will continue," he said.
Recalling the words of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the Taoiseach concluded by saying: "Ireland's hour has come: a time of peace, of prosperity, of old values and new beginnings."
Addressing the joint Houses is a major honour and since 1939 has been bestowed on only 31 world leaders, including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and former US presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan.
Earlier Mr Blair paid tribute to Mr Ahern, saying he had been at the very heart of the search for a political settlement in North Ireland for more than a decade.
The British prime minister said it was 10 years since he had had the honour of addressing the Dáil, the first British premier to do so.
"On that occasion I spoke of my hopes for the peace process and for the building of a new relationship between Britain and Ireland, within a new Europe. Ten years on, our greatest hopes for both have been exceeded," he said.
"In a curious way, Bertie and I symbolise the past - him from a staunch Irish republican background, me whose maternal grandfather was an Orangeman living in Donegal. Yet today, we are friends and partners and close neighbours," the British prime minister said.
Additional reporting by PA
