The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and the Northern Secretary, Dr Reid, were among those who received peace awards from a Cork-based Christian group yesterday.
The 13th annual PEACE (Prayer Enterprise and Christian Effort) awards were presented at a ceremony in Dublin.
However, in the best Oscar tradition, the two political recipients were not present in person to accept the framed certificate, piece of Cork crystal and sterling silver medals embossed with a gold dove. Mr Cowen was represented by Mr Mícheál Smith of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Mr Reid was represented by Mr John Rankin, deputy head of the British Embassy in Dublin.
The awards were presented by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ald Michael Donnelly.
Speaking on behalf of Mr Cowen, Mr Smith said the work of groups such as PEACE had an important role to play in consolidating peace and political agreement. Their continuing encouragement had been a vital support for those working to implement the Belfast Agreement. "The Good Friday agreement expressly recognised and valued the work done by many organisations, such as yours, to develop reconciliation and mutual understanding and respect between and within communities and traditions, in Northern Ireland and between North and South," he said.
Mr Rankin, on behalf of Dr Reid, said he had two messages from the Northern Secretary. The first was that the Irish and British governments would continue to work together as closely as they could to try to implement the Good Friday agreement and to try to bring peace and stability to the island of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Second, the governments could not do the work alone. "It has to be a bottom-up process."
Mr Cecil Hurwitz of PEACE said there would be no lasting peace until "the terrible evil of sectarianism" was eradicated. Other award recipients included the Rev Dr Ruth Patterson, the first woman Presbyterian minister to be ordained in Ireland. Formerly a chaplain at Queen's University and a minister in the south Belfast area, she was described as a "bridge builder" who assisted both Protestant and Catholic families.
Father Neal Carlin, who established Columba House, a Derry-based ministry of healing and rehabilitation for ex-prisoners, and the White Oaks centre for treatment of drug addicts, was also present to accept an award.
The Rev David Armstrong, a former Presbyterian minister, and his wife June Armstrong, also received a PEACE award.
The gathering heard they were "hounded" out of Northern Ireland by "years of bigotry" and went to Britain where the Rev Andrews was ordained an Anglican minister. They returned to Ireland where he now ministers in Co Cork.