No alternative to peace process, Dalai Lama says in Derry

There is no alternative to the peace process, the Dalai Lama has said during a visit to Northern Ireland.

People have to work and live together and refrain from acting like animals, the Tibetan Buddhist leader added.

He visited the UK City of Culture, Derry, today to address 2,500 people at a former army barracks and to cross a peace bridge linking the mainly Catholic west side of the river with the mainly Protestant east side.

“There is no other alternative to the peace process, there is no other choice - you have to work and live together so we should not act like animals,” he said.

While dissident republicans maintain a presence in Derry, the visit of the champion of peace is intended to shore up efforts to emerge from violence.

The city has grown as a tourist destination thanks to sights such as its medieval walls, its cathedral St Columb’s, and its proximity to natural scenery such as the River Foyle.

The waterway passes through the heart of the city, dividing the mainly Catholic west bank from the mainly Protestant east bank.

Peace bridge

The serpentine pedestrian peace bridge was opened in 2011. It cost #14 million to build and is the length of two and a half football pitches.

The Dalai Lama was to meet Catholic and Protestant church leaders, including the cleric expected to become Ireland’s next Catholic primate, Msgr Eamon Martin.

He was also attend an event called Culture Of Compassion at a former army barracks turned civic space in the city and give a public address.

The Dalai Lama last visited the city in 2007 when he attended anniversary celebrations for the charity Children In Crossfire, which is organising today’s event.

Richard Moore, the organisation's director, met the Dalai Lama in India, where he is in exile from Chinese-ruled Tibet.

Mr Moore was shot and blinded by a British soldier 40 years ago. He travelled to meet the Dalai Lama with the man who shot him after they befriended each other.

PA