TONY KENNEDY,
Madam, - Mark Brennock's articles in your editions of January 20th and 22nd about the Taoiseach's intensive round of talks on the future of Northern Ireland testify to the energy and commitment the Taoiseach has shown to getting the political aspect of the process moving again.
He deserves credit for his dedication. However, it stands in stark contrast to the effort the Government and the political class in general have put into building peace at community level.
In the five years since the signing of the Belfast Agreement, no sub-committee of the Oireachtas has studied the relations between the two communities on the ground. Neither has the Government increased its contribution to the Reconciliation Fund since 2000, not even to take inflation into account. The part that ordinary people in the Republic can play to promote peace is not a significant part of political discourse. Despite the dedication of many politicians of all parties, the overall perception appears to be that politicians are happy to let the Government and the North/South bodies do their bit and leave them to it.
If building peace is "the greatest challenge facing us on the island", as politicians so often describe it, surely more time should be spent on it in Oireachtas committees and more resources allocated to it by Government? - Yours, etc.,
TONY KENNEDY,
Chief Executive,
Co-Operation Ireland,
Herbert Place, Dublin 2.