Ireland agreement spawning hope here

The peace agreement was accepted April 10 by the governments of the Irish Republic and Great Britain, and by the political parties of Northern Ireland. It was reached after a marathon negotiating session in Belfast. The agreement will be put to voters in the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland in May.

It includes establishment of a new 108-seat Northern Ireland assembly, a North-South ministerial council and a British-Irish council, as well as constitutional changes in Britain and the Irish Republic. It also includes a review of the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland, decommissioning of paramilitary weapons and the early release of political prisoners.

Here are the reactions of Catholics in the Albany Diocese:

* Rev. James Hayes, chaplain for Great Meadow and Washington Correctional Facilities, and a native of Kilkenny, Ireland: "I'm very happy. This is a huge difference [from past promises of peace]. We never had the right person in Washington before who took a real interest in Ireland. [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair is a totally independent person, not dependent on the Unionist vote. He has the power and the guts to get things done.

"I just can't give President Clinton enough credit. The two great things he did were to appoint Jean Kennedy Smith as ambassador to Ireland and George Mitchell as chairman of the peace process. America deserves great credit, and the Irish-American community brought that about.

"I'm optimistic that the agreement will be passed. It's going to be tight in the north, but it will pass in the south. It's not the united Ireland we'd hope for, but it's a huge step forward."

* Rev. Jeremiah Nunan, pastor of Sacred Heart parish, Cairo, and a native of County Cork, Ireland: "I feel good about it. It's a new beginning in the long road to peace. It has to be; they put an awful lot of work into it. The opposition is coming from Protestant hard-liners, hard-hearted people who don't want to change. They want to stay close to England.

"I feel this has a better chance than any of the other [agreements] so far; there are a lot of prominent people involved. The biggest thing is cooperation from all the different people involved. I spoke to one cousin. He's a doctor in Dublin. He's excited about it. It's something the Irish people want. At least they're taking the first steps. This will mean, for the very first time, a new local government for Ireland. That cooperation will bear fruit."

* Larry Riley, Albany area coordinator for Project Children, an organization that brings children from Northern Ireland to stay with host families in the United States each summer: "I think everybody sincerely hopes that it will succeed; but I think, in the individual mindset, there's a lot of obstacles to overcome. That's the real crux of the problem.

"You're talking about generations upon generations that have been raised to have nothing to do with the other side of the community. That's got to be overcome, but that's not going to happen overnight. People don't learn to hate overnight. They won't learn to forgive overnight, either."

* Peter Lounsbery, a member of the Concerned Irish Societies of the Capital District and president of the Albany Police Pipes and Drums: "I think it's an opportunity of a generation. If failed, it won't come again in our lifetime. I think it will work. People want it to work. It's in everyone's interest to succeed. I think everyone wants it to succeed except the fringe from both sides, but the fringe doesn't have the support. No one has anything to lose by trying."

* Mary Totina Leathem, national chairperson of missions and charities for the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians and a parishioner of Our Lady of Victory in Troy: "We're very cautious. We're very pleased that it's been signed. As a Catholic organization, we believe it's in God's hands. I was very happy [to hear of the agreement]. My daughter was on the internet and called me down. We read the article together. Our family is very active [in AOH]. It's the thread of our lives. We couldn't have had a better Easter gift."

(Contributing to this story were Catholic News Service; Kate Blain, assistant editor; and staff writers Maureen McGuinness and Paul Quirini.)

(04-16-98)