涩里番下载

鈥淭he agreement ended what many considered an unsolvable conflict,鈥� said Robert Savage, professor of the practice in the History Department. 鈥淭he Troubles witnessed 30 years of bloody mayhem that destroyed the lives of many people. What is most remarkable and should not be overlooked is that the violence has ended.鈥�

鈥淒espite periods of interruption, the GFA has restored devolved government to the country in a dynamic and creative way, so that there is genuine power sharing between people who, prior to 1998, would scarcely speak to one another,鈥� said Professor of History Oliver Rafferty, S.J. Getting to 鈥測es鈥� required bitter foes to put aside longstanding, fervently-held views, he added: Republicans/nationalists who opposed the very existence of Northern Ireland accepted the reality of the state, as well as the police service鈥攁 particular source of controversy鈥攁nd that Northern Ireland鈥檚 status 鈥渃ould not be changed without the consent of the unionist majority鈥�; unionists/loyalists 鈥渞ealized that government would have to be shared to a meaningful degree with the Catholic nationalist minority.鈥�

Retired Associate Professor of History Kevin O鈥橬eill, co-founder of 涩里番下载鈥檚 Irish Studies Program, cites the courage of John Hume (a regular visitor and occasional visiting faculty member at 涩里番下载) as crucial to the GFA. As Northern Ireland鈥檚 leading Catholic politician and head of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Hume was aware 鈥渢hat by creating the new political institutions of the agreement, he was likely consigning his own party to marginalization. But he considered the end of destructive violence worth the risk.鈥�

涩里番下载 proved to be a locus of relevant activity during this transition period in Northern Ireland. In the fall of 1998, the University鈥檚 Irish Institute鈥攚hich for years had offered 鈥渃ross-border鈥� programs for both Northern Irish and Irish professionals鈥攍aunched a series of seminars and discussions to help members of the newly created Northern Ireland Assembly prepare for their responsibilities as leaders in government; 涩里番下载 Political Science faculty members Marc Landy, Dennis Hale, and John Tierney were among those involved in the program.

The campus also hosted many of the key figures in the GFA negotiations, including Hume and his co-Nobel Peace Prize recipient David Trimble (both were awarded honorary degrees from 涩里番下载), Martin McGuinness, David Irvine, Gusty Spence and Mo Mowlam. Hume also helped teach a course with Savage and other 涩里番下载 faculty.

Despite the optimism it generated, said faculty experts, the GFA has had its vulnerabilities, not least in the formulation of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which has endured numerous interruptions and suspensions mainly because of conflicts between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn F茅in, which represents the Irish nationalist community and is now the assembly鈥檚 largest party.听 The assembly has not met in nearly a year, in part because the DUP refused to assent to the election of a Sinn F茅in first minister.

Frustrating as it may be that the assembly can be so readily disrupted by one party鈥攁nd by extension the particular community it represents鈥擮鈥橬eill said that this flaw was actually necessary in achieving the GFA: 鈥淲ithout the ability to boycott or veto,鈥� he explained, 鈥渢he very real insecurities of the major parties would have prevented the agreement.鈥�

Not to be overlooked, say the faculty members, are the deep wounds in Northern Ireland left from the Troubles, and other scars that go back for generations. Society is still divided, Savage noted, with Catholic children attending Catholic schools and Protestant children going to state schools generally viewed as 鈥淧rotestant鈥�; many young people, especially from working-class backgrounds, struggle to find decent jobs.

O鈥橬eill pointed to the failure to establish a 鈥渢ruth and reconciliation process鈥� that, among other things, could aid in addressing the legacy of violence.