A priest who played a major part in helping to secure peace in
Northern Ireland is to give this year’s address at one of the country's
most famous War of Independence commemorations.
Fr Alex Reid will give the address at this year's annual
commemoration at Clonfin in County Longford on Sunday February 6.
This
year's commemoration will mark the 90th anniversary of the historic
happenings that occurred on February 2 1921.
Fr Reid, often described as one of the unsung heroes of the Northern
Ireland Peace process, is based at Clonard Monastery in Belfast and is
known within the Nationalist and Unionist communities for his
facilitator role in the peace process.
Among his many actions during the Troubles, Fr Reid aided a series of
meetings between Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and SDLP leader John
Hume, in an effort to establish a pan nationalist front.
A long-time confidant of Gerry Adams, Fr Reid helped to broker the
ground-breaking talks between the two party leaders.
These talks led to
the 1993 Downing Street Declaration that paved the way for dialogue
between the Irish and British governments and the Republican and
Loyalist paramilitary groupings.
Tipperary native Fr Reid is expected to deliver a strong address to
those gathered at the 90th anniversary commemoration and explain how,
when the fighting ended some of the Irish warriors helped bandage the
wounds of some of the British auxiliaries ensuring that the ambush
played its part in building a peaceful resolution to the conflict in
Ireland.