Historic Day In Northern Ireland

To anyone of a certain age what happened today in the Northern Ireland Parliament today really is a historic moment and serves as a reminder of what can be achieved if the effort is put in,
When i was growing up the Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombs were devastating all parts of England and Northern Ireland and Sinn Fein led by Gerry Adams was the political mouthpiece for the terrorist group, his voice was dubbed over due to the Government ban forbidding British TV networks broadcasting interviews with the Sinn Fein leader.
Twenty six years after the Good Friday agreement where the IRA laid down their arms in return for self-government of Northern Ireland and the release of IRA prisoners, Sinn Fein's leader, Michelle O'Neill, entered the Northern Ireland Parliament in Stormont as First Minister.
Her speech as she received the top role in Northern Ireland included that: 'As an Irish republican I pledge co-operation and genuine honest effort with those colleagues who are British, of a unionist tradition and who cherish the union. Despite our different outlooks and views on the future constitutional position,
the public rightly demands that we co-operate, deliver and work together."
She ended promising to: 'Serve everyone equally' but although it may seem unimaginable to my and my parents generation, it is a sterling example of what can be achieved by just sitting down and talking and serves as an example to all those people who say you can't negotiate with terrorists. You can and sometimes good things can come from it if you just try.