THE decision by the Bogside Residents' Group to reroute last night's march away from the loyalist Fountain estate was welcomed by a Government spokesman in Dublin.
"We would hope all those engaged in marches or demonstrations over the weekend will exercise the maximum restraint and show respect for the views of others," he added.
"If this is done, hopefully it may be possible to get through what is clearly going to be a difficult weekend in Northern Ireland without significant trouble," he said.
Despite recent events in Northern Ireland, there remained "a precious opportunity to bring about a negotiated accommodation between nationalism and unionism", the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, said in Tralee last night.
There was "a greater responsibility than ever" on politicians to try to secure progress when multiparty talks resumed next month, he added.
"The Northern Ireland peace process has reached another crossroads as dialogue and discord vie for supremacy," Mr Spring said.
The ending of the IRA ceasefire "represented a serious setback to the hopes of the vast majority of people on this island who want to turn their backs on the conflict of the last quarter of a century, and expect their leaders to negotiate a comprehensive political settlement leading to an historic healing of Ireland's centuries old divisions".
Mr Spring said the "quest to assert the primacy of politics in Northern Ireland" continued. Although the multi party negotiations had made disappointingly limited progress, "this just reflects the difficulties generated by decades of disagreement and mistrust".
"The dreadful events of the last month have brought home as starkly as is possible the absolute necessity of political dialogue in a divided community" such as Northern Ireland, he added.
"The alternative to political progress has been shown to be too awful to contemplate. There is now a greater responsibility than ever on politicians on all sides to make that extra effort to secure progress in the talks when they resume in September.
"Despite the difficulties experienced in recent months there remains a precious opportunity to bring about a negotiated accommodation between nationalism and unionism that Northern Ireland so badly needs. To spurn this opportunity would be an unforgivable offence.
"The passions generated during the marching season must not be permitted to cloud the bright path to political and economic progress shown to the people of Northern Ireland throughout last year."
Commenting on recent difficulties between the European Union and the US, Mr Spring said: "Inevitably, some difficulties and irritants will arise from time to time, but these are well outweighed by what we have in common.
Ireland had "a special contribution to make to the emergence of a newly dynamic relationship be tween Europe and America that is attuned to today's international realities".
The Tanaiste was speaking at the official opening of the Irish College for the Humanities, where Irish studies will be taught, mainly to US students.
