That is now what you must do here with the people of Northern Ireland. Here we lie along the peace line, the wall of steel and stone separating Protestant from Catholic. But today, under the leadership of Pat Dougan, you are bridging the divide, overcoming a legacy of discrimination where fair employment and integration are the watchwords of the future. On this shop floor men and women of both traditions are working together to achieve common goals. Peace, once a distant dream, is now making a difference in everyday life in this land.
People can go to the pub or the store without the burden of the search or the threat of a bomb.
As barriers disappear along the border, families and communities divided for decades are becoming whole once more. This year in Armagh on St. Patrick's Day, Protestant and Catholic children led the parade together for the first time since the troubles began. The economic rewards of peace are evident as well. Unemployment has fallen here to its lowest level in 14 years, while retail sales and investment are surging. Far from the gleaming city center, to the new shop fronts of Belfast, to the Enterprise Center in East Belfast, business is thriving and opportunities are expanding.