At the opening of the Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive in Armagh city on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of Dr O Fiaich's death, the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Sean Brady, said: "Let both sides give a little so that all may gain a lot," Pol O Muiri writes. The assembled politicians and guests included the late cardinal's family, the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Dr Mo Mowlam, who officially opened the library.
Dr Brady said Cardinal O Fiaich "would most certainly have wholeheartedly welcomed the Good Friday Agreement". Recalling Cardinal O Fiaich's efforts to resolve the 1981 hunger strikes, Dr Brady said his appeals for concessions were ignored, with "tragic results". The archbishop that he "re-echoed a similar appeal to those embroiled in the present impasse to go the extra mile".
Dr Mowlam praised Cardinal O Fiaich's efforts for peace, his scholarship and "his love for his country and its traditions". While "you never forgot your history, you certainly didn't have to live in it", she said.