Former Irish President and Distinguished Professor in Irish Studies at St Mary’s University, Twickenham Prof Mary McAleese gave a major address on diplomatic relations between Britain and Ireland over the past century to an audience of MPs and peers at an event in the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday 24th February.
Acknowledging the fraught relationship between Britain and Ireland for much of the twentieth century, Professor McAleese described how relations between the two countries have been transformed over the course of a hundred years.
Her speech covered the Easter Rising, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the long path to peace and improving Anglo–Irish relations which culminated in HM Queen Elizabeth II’s State visit to the Irish Republic in 2011. She also referred to Ireland and Britain’s entry into the European Union on the same day in 1973.
She spoke of a transformative century and concluded that: “Irish British relations in 1916 and Irish British relations in 2016 belong to two different worlds.”
She spoke to the Irish diaspora and commended all those who have fostered better relations between the two countries: “Behind the world of politics and diplomacy are legions of men and women from Ireland who have made their lives in Britain and vice versa. The web of personal connections is richly textured and strong. It is infused with a new confidence and trust in one another. I pay tribute to the men, women and young people on all sides who have worked to recalibrate the historically skewed relationships between these islands.”
The event was organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Irish in Britain, in partnership with St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London, where Professor McAleese is a Distinguished Professor in Irish Studies. It was attended by MPs from across the political spectrum, including several former Northern Ireland Secretaries.
Conor McGinn MP (St Helens North), Chair of the Irish in Britain APPG said, “It is an honour for me and the APPG on the Irish in Britain to host former President McAleese in Parliament. She is a seminal,
inspirational figure who has been central to relations between the UK and Ireland over the last 20 years.
“The centenary of the Easter Rising is hugely important to the Irish in Britain, and as on the island of Ireland there are a range of views, experiences and thoughts about its impact and its consequences. The Irish in Britain played a significant role in the events of 1916, and our community now – 100 years later in 2016 – is at the forefront of driving forward a new and positive relationship between these two islands.”