Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former British prime minister Tony Blair were honoured today by Queen's University Belfast for their role in the Northern Ireland peace process.
Mr Blair and Mr Ahern were hailed for their contribution to peace on the tenth anniversary of the referendum on both sides of the Irish border which ratified the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Blair, who is in the Middle East working in his new role as peace envoy, was not present.
Bertie Ahern pictured after he received his Honorary Degree Citation at Queens
Mr Ahern did attend, arriving after an overnight flight from Moscow where he had watched Manchester United win the Champions League final. Dressed in a red gown Mr Ahern said he felt deeply privileged to receive the honorary doctorate.
He expressed his disappointment that Mr Blair could not be there but said: “I know how much he too values this recognition of the role he played in bringing peace to Ireland.”
He said they had travelled many miles together on the road to peace since they were elected leaders within weeks of each other in 1997.
“It was a time when there were no ceasefires in place,” Mr Ahern said. “It was a time of real concern that the cycle of murder and mayhem which had strangled the progress of this island for too long might once again resume.”
At their first meeting as heads of their respective governments they knew they faced an enormous challenge but that the prize of peace would be a great one for the people of Northern Ireland and the island as a whole.
“We both resolved to give peace on this island our overriding political priority and to work to remove the causes of conflict, to overcome the legacy of history and to heal the divisions of the past.” Many had joined them on their long and difficult journey but they had eventually found the common thread that bound Britain and Ireland together, and the two peoples had begun to weave a new history built on the simple principals of neutral respect and understanding, he said.
Of Mr Blair, he said: “He is not just a great friend of mine, he is a great friend of the Irish people both north and south.
“I will never forget his political courage and the risks he took as we travelled from discord to peace, from distrust to partnership and from despair to a new prosperity, north and south.”
In a pre-recorded video acceptance speech Mr Blair praised Mr Ahern, saying his “friendliness and good humour was matched by his commitment to building a new future for Northern Ireland.”
While acknowledging the contribution of many central figures in the peace process, Mr Blair singled out former US Senator George Mitchell, who chaired the talks which led to the Belfast Agreement, describing him as “a man who deserves the title peacemaker if anyone does”.
Honouring the two former political leaders Mr Mitchell – who is now chancellor of Queen’s - said politicians were often accused of taking the easy option, of thinking only in the short term.
“When Tony Blair first sat down at his desk in Downing Street and when Bertie Ahern became Taoiseach, they both must have been encouraged to take the files marked Northern Ireland and put them aside,” Mr Mitchell said.
The British and Irish governments had a mature and solid relationship and relationships between and within the islands had never been better, he added.
“Much of that is the result of the unique partnership between Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern,” said Mr Mitchell. “What has been achieved here has been an inspiration to those in other conflicts around the world.”
The awards were made at the beginning of a major conference at the university which will be exploring the lessons to be learned from the North’s experience of peace-building and regeneration.
The Mitchell Conference is a joint initiative by Queen’s and Georgetown University in Washington. The two-day gathering will examine how Northern Ireland’s transformation can inspire others in conflict zones.