Following last year's progress, everyone must now abide by their commitments, writes Bertie Ahern.
In history and politics, the release of government files from 30 years ago affords a clear yardstick of progress.
The Ireland of 1976 was a very different place. We were relatively poor, certainly by today's standards. We had only recently joined the EEC and were still finding our way in the modern world. The twin threats of unemployment and emigration, almost ever-present since independence, continued to hang over every family.
Above all, the terrible tragedy of the Northern conflict dominated the agenda. More than 300 people died in political violence in 1976 and many more lives were ruined by grief and loss. As with the Iron Curtain across Europe, so the bitter divisions in Northern Ireland seemed permanent. It was a time of despair, almost without hope.
In these first days of 2007, we are a country transformed, with record low unemployment and forced emigration a thing of the past. We are a committed member of a European Union that now comprises 27 countries, including many of those countries which suffered so long behind that Iron Curtain. Yesterday, we welcomed two more such countries - Romania and Bulgaria - to the union.
Most importantly of all, in 2007 we are an island at peace.
With the IRA campaign ended and its weapons decommissioned, it was important in 2006 to get politics going again in the North.
In January, British prime minister Tony Blair and I met in Farmleigh to set a course to try and bring this about. This led us together to Armagh in April, to Belfast in June and to St Andrews in October. The St Andrews Agreement was the result of this sustained effort. This agreement, which is built on the twin pillars of powersharing and support for policing and the rule of law, has broken the logjam and offered Northern Ireland the opportunity of restoring partnership government in the coming months.
We now have a transitional Assembly up and running at Stormont. We have a timeline, which brings us to an election in the North in March, followed by the restoration of the full Executive, Assembly and North/South institutions.
Ian Paisley's confirmation that he will share power and Gerry Adams confirming that he is prepared to support policing are both extremely significant developments.
The ardfheis on policing, which Sinn Féin will now hold in January, will be a defining moment in the peace process. A successful outcome is vital to the continuing success of this process. And it will also make a real difference to the daily lives of many people across both communities in the North affected by crime and other issues that only the police can properly address.
Of course, we recognise that the SDLP - with the full support of the Government - led the way for the nationalist community on this issue. Many nationalist representatives have shown courage in serving on the policing structures in recent years, often in the face of intimidation and even violence. In doing so, they did their community a great service.
If 2006 was a year of hope and progress, 2007 is a year of real opportunity.
We now have the basis for Northern Ireland to be at peace with itself and for relations between all of the people of this island to develop in a healthy and positive way in the interests of all.
We have only just begun to understand that we have all the talent and capability to be world-beaters in so many areas of endeavour.
We are eager to work with the re-established Executive and with all sections of society in Northern Ireland to address new challenges.
Under the St Andrews Agreement, we will see the restoration to full operation of the North/South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council. We will see the establishment of a North/South Parliamentary Forum, with inclusive membership from the Oireachtas and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
We also look forward to the establishment of an independent consultative forum, with representatives from civil society, North and South. Following on from the conclusion of the Towards 2016 agreement, the consultative forum will be a further concrete expression of the Government's commitment to social partnership.
All of these initiatives are an integral part of the essential process of reconciliation and of developing new relationships on the island of Ireland.
We need to begin a new conversation between North and South, a conversation more about the future than about the past.
We want to work together on a range of issues that matter to ordinary people - building the island economy, upgrading infrastructure, improving public services, developing innovation, strengthening higher education and tackling poverty and social exclusion.
The new National Development Plan, which the Government will publish later this month, will reflect those opportunities with a strong all-island dimension as a key theme. We are already talking to the British government and the Northern Ireland parties about how we can work together on a range of innovative North/South projects.
These will complement the existing substantial agenda of co-operation in areas such as energy, health, trade and tourism.
This will benefit everybody on this island, and hopefully in particular those areas which suffered most from the Troubles.
In the coming months, everybody must shoulder their responsibilities and abide by their commitments. In doing so, this generation can place its own definitive milestone in our history.