President's Welcome
Rev. Brian Kennaway
Over those years the Association has been a major, and particularly in the early years sometimes a lonely player, in the cause of understanding, peace and reconciliation. Many of the leading figures of our day give testimony to the effectiveness of the Irish Association over many years, as they provided a valuable and safe platform for discussion.
In recent years, particularly since the Belfast Agreement, the interest in the work of the Association in the South of Ireland has waned. This we believe to be the result of the mistaken idea that all is well and that all inter-communal hostility has ended. Too many people, particularly in the South, regarded Northern Ireland as both settled and solved within months of the Belfast Agreement. The South of Ireland is now so preoccupied with its economic problems that it is difficult to generate any interest in affairs north of the border.
Sectarianism, both invisible and visible still exists. It was the rise in sectarianism, as well as the sense of the drifting apart of the peoples of Ireland, which motivated the founders of the Irish Association in the 1930's. That should still be our motivation today.
We are now living in a new Ireland - north and south. Gone are the rousing speeches of rampant republicanism and unbridled unionism. Our political leaders north and south, by and large, use more measured tones in their public addresses.
On 20 May 2010, the Taoiseach, Brian Cowan made a speech entitled "A Decade of Commemorations: Commemorating Our Shared History". He said, among other things, this:"Some will use the memory of the dead to bring suffering to the living. To them I say: Count me out. Count out all the people of Ireland - North, South, East and West."
The future offers us a challenge. The centenary commemorations - the signing of the Ulster Covenant in 1912, the 1916 Rebellion/Rising - could well be used "to bring suffering to the living". But only if we allow it.
It is easier to change minds than to change the heart. As Winston Churchill is reputed to have said - "The problem at the heart of man is the problem of man's heart". What we need therefore is a generosity of spirit among all the peoples of Ireland - a generosity that is demonstrable in putting away the old tired arguments of the past. A generosity of spirit that embraces a new Ireland and a new future for all our peoples.
To that end the Irish Association will continue in the time-honoured tradition -'to make reason and goodwill take the place of passion and prejudice in Ireland, north and south'. If you share our vision please become a member of our Association and work towards an Ireland which is united in harmony and peace if not constitutionally.
Rev. Brian Kennaway
President
Irish Association for Cultural, Economic and Social Relations
Upcoming Events
Book Launch
Date: Thursday 9th February
Venue: Canada Room, Lanyon Building, Queen's University of Belfast
Speaker: Lord Bew of Donegore
Book Launch
Date: Wednesday 22nd February
Venue: Royal Irish Academy,
19 Dawson Street, Dublin
Speaker: Dr John Bowman
Recent Events
Dublin Winter Lunch
Date: Saturday 28th January
Venue: Sandymount Hotel
Herbert Rd, Lansdowne Rd, Dublin 4
Speaker: Prof. Brian Walker