Politics & Poetry

Our morning correspondent is Brian Keller:

President Bill Clinton was the first President of the United States to visit Northern Ireland in November of 1995. During that visit he assured the people of Northern Ireland that they were viewed by the US as “partners for security, partners for prosperity, and most important, partners for peace". In October of 1997 reflecting on that visit he said, “I was there to show the desire of the United States to help and to support the peace process, not to impose a vision or a solution of our own. I'll never forget the faces of the people, young and old, of both traditions, who reached out to Hillary and me as we traveled through Belfast. I was very proud to represent the American people and to be able to share our ideals and experiences with the people in Northern Ireland.” President Clinton was an important figure in the process that culminated in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. President Clinton became personally involved in Northern Ireland to try and settle the differences between the nationalists and unionists. His “hands on” approach has been cited by all parties as a critical part of the peace process. He played an important role in the Irish Peace Process and was highlighted, along with President George W. Bush, by the US Consul General today.

The general wake up time this morning was nine o’clock because we had to get our good clothes ready for the day. Today we went to visit with the United States Consul General in Belfast. It was about a ten minute walk to the United States Consulate complex from Queen’s Elms Village. Upon our arrival we were subjected to strict security before were given access. The majority of us had to wait outside and go through security two at a time. There were two guards waiting inside the security check point and we had to present our identification cards. We had to put all of our electronics into a bin and walk through a metal detector; just like at Stormont. Consul General Kamala Lakhdhir represents the United States of America in Northern Ireland. Her function is to represent the US government in day to day affairs in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Due to the divided nature of Northern Irish society strengthening the peace process is important part of her job.

We did not have to wait long for the lecture to start because she already had the PowerPoint presentation set up and ready to go. There was a delicious selection of biscuits to choose from and tea was available to us and made us feel welcomed. Consul General Kamala Lakhdhir started the presentation by mentioning she has been working as the United States Consul General in Belfast for the past three years. Belfast is one of the oldest US Consulates and there has been an American post there since 1796. Many immigrants come to the US via Northern Ireland and there have been constant commercial links. There have been strong ties to Northern Ireland throughout US history. For instance during the Civil War the North would not buy cotton from the South; so we bought linen, from (Northern) Ireland, in place of cotton. During World War II, Northern Ireland was used as a fueling port on the way to Normandy and we trained some of our pilots there. Of course the current US involvement in the Peace Process was highlighted and covered in considerable detail.

Something I never knew before Kamala’s lecture was the positive role that President George W. Bush has played in implementing the Good Friday Agreement. He is one of the principal reasons why the IRA decommissioned their weapons. A large number of Irish Americans had supported the IRA throughout the Troubles, even though the IRA was involved in acts of terror. Many Irish Americans supported the IRA and their armed struggle for Irish unity. After 911, President Bush realized it was wrong to allow any Americans to support any group that committed acts of terror. President Bush’s had Ambassador Richard N. Haass deliver a strong message to Irish Republicans. They were told that the world had fundamentally changed that day and the US could no longer tolerate an armed IRA. I liked hearing that because it shows how much of an influence America has on some of the steps Ireland is taking towards peace. When it was time to ask questions I asked the first question about how long America will be needed in Northern Ireland to help consolidate the peace. Kamala said that the United States will probably be performing this role in Northern Ireland for a long time. Kamala’s lecture helped me understand more about the positive role that United States is playing in Northern Ireland.

Our afternoon correspondent is Brendan Keaney:

“You can’t build a bridge without support on both sides.”Jeffrey Donaldson, member of the Democratic Unionist Party

Jeffrey Donaldson said this in regard to building peace between Protestants and Catholics after what happened throughout the period known as The Troubles. Mr. Donaldson believes that both Protestants and Catholics must be willing to make peace with each other. Although they might not agree about what happened during the Troubles, they need to be able to forgive each other and move on with their everyday lives. As the quote says, you cannot build a bridge without support on both ends. If you have support on just one side, you only have half of a bridge. If you only have support on one side, conflict will still happen on the other side.

Following a meeting with U.S. Consul General Kamala Lakhdir, the Irish Studies group and I had a meeting with Sinead Morrissey, an Irish poet. At first, we were going to meet in a room at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University, but Sinead quickly escorted us to another nearby building and into another room. She began her talk by showing the group two pictures of a young girl. She asked us to guess who it was, and to my surprise, it was not Sinead, but rather a girl by the name of Alice Liddell, the main character in the book Alice in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll. After providing the Irish Studies group with background information for her poem Storm, Sinead read us her wonderful poem.

The next poem Sinead read to us was Augustine Sleeping Before He Can Talk. This poem was about her son’s trip to the Belfast Zoo when he was a baby. When her son was more interested in the leaves on bushes than animals at the zoo, Sinead wondered how babies think about before they speak a language. She imagined that maybe babies thought in terms of colors, smells, or even images. After this poem, to our enjoyment, Sinead talked about how two entrepreneurs around 1900 named Mitchell and Kenyon would go to various locations and film people as they walked by. Mitchell and Kenyon would show the film to audiences for one penny per person. The final poem Sinead Morrissey read to us was entitled Electric Edwardians. The poem was written in 2008. The poem was about the films Mitchell and Kenyon made. Sinead had seen one of their videos in 2005 and she instantly knew she would write a poem on it in the future. She ended up writing the poem on a train from Belfast to Dublin. Following Sinead’s poetry reading, some of the students were able to get some of Sinead’s books signed.

After Sinead’s book signing, the Irish Studies group and I headed back to Queen’s University for a talk given by Jeffrey Donaldson MP, a member of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland. Jeffrey Donaldson is a Unionist, which means that he believes that Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom. Mr. Donaldson objects to anyone who uses violence. Mr. Donaldson has a first-hand experience of the Troubles. His cousin was the first policeman to be killed by the Irish Republican Army. He believes that experiences in life shape who you become. Twenty years ago, Jeffrey hated what the IRA stood for. He was even happy when he heard that a member of his regiment killed an enemy after the enemy’s gun became jammed. He was happy that his comrade was saved, as well as, that a member of the opposing force was dead. After he met the father of the man who died, Jeffrey started to feel grief. Jeffrey suffered a lot from the Troubles, but he also learned a lot from the Troubles. He has forgiven people who have perpetrated wrongdoing against him and any member of his family.

A major part of Mr. Donaldson’s speech was focused around peace being a process rather than a single event. He believes that Protestants and Catholics have to find a way to live together in peace. Jeffrey Donaldson thinks that the Good Friday Agreement did not bring peace, but was a significant milestone on the way to peace between Protestants and Catholics. During his talk, he stressed how important he thinks peoples’ wants in regards to government and everyday life matter. He stated that only one-third of the people in the working-class of Northern Ireland vote in political elections. Local paramilitary group leaders seem to be influencing young people more than local politicians.

Following the meeting with Jeffrey Donaldson, we were able to split up and go out for a couple of hours and get something to eat. When all of us got back, we had a nice reflection and went to bed.