ÁRAS RECEPTION:THE PEACEMAKERS will prevail in Northern Ireland, President Mary McAleese told the guests at her annual Twelfth of July garden party yesterday evening – the final garden party of her presidency.
The sun shone above Áras an Uachtaráin as 400 people gathered from all over the country, including community workers, members of Cavan and Monaghan Loyal Orange Lodge and members of various churches.
Mrs McAleese, who along with her husband, Senator Martin McAleese, has played a significant role in reconciling warring factions in the North, said the temper and structure of cross-Border relations had changed dramatically in recent years.
“If you needed proof of the altered relationship between this Republic and Great Britain, then you need only look to the warm, collegial atmosphere generated by the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh a few short weeks ago.
“Their visit was a very clear manifestation of the new relationship of neighbourliness and mutual respect that now prevails on this island and between these islands, a relationship underpinned by the clearly expressed will of the vast majority of the people,” said the President.
Barack Obama acknowledged the President’s role in the Northern Ireland peace process during his visit this year, while Martin McAleese has been credited with helping to coax hardline loyalists down a peaceful path.
Sammy Douglas, a community worker for 25 years in East Belfast, told The Irish Times he “couldn’t say enough good” about the McAleeses.
“She’s reached out to ordinary people in a way no other president has and together they have had a remarkable impact on building bridges. It has been a joint effort. They’ve worked so hard.”
“I would like to think that the next president will continue where she left off,” Mr Douglas added.