Archbishop Eames accepts Tipperary International Peace Prize in names of parochial clergy

 

Former Archbishop of Armagh and Church of Ireland Primate of All-Ireland, The Rt Revd Dr Robin Eames, received Tipperary International Peace Award this afternoon in Tipperary Town saying that he did so in the names of parochial clergy of the Church of Ireland and the clergy of all the denominations on the island and of the many ordinary people who have never received acknowledgement for working towards peace.

Receiving the Award, the Rt Revd Dr Eames said: “I regard the Award of the Tipperary International Peace Prize as a very great honour and I am truly humbled to join the list of those whose lives you have recognised in the past. However, I feel I want to accept this honour in the names of a host of ordinary people who over the years have made such personal and often sacrificial contributions to the peace process in Ireland. Not least are the parochial clergy of the Church of Ireland and the clergy of all the denominations on this island, whose faithful ministry down the years kept the vision of peace alive against great odds.”

In selecting former Archbishop of Armagh, the Rt Revd Dr Eames as the recipient of the Peace Award in 2006, Tipperary Peace Convention Committee said that they are paying tribute to his courageous and patient work in the cause of reconciliation in Northern Ireland. “He has commanded the trust and respect of very many people and has given imaginative and constructive leadership to the community in the North and throughout Ireland. His foresight, understanding, compassion and dignified counsel reassured many during periods of turmoil and trouble both in northern politics and in church affairs. He has been a ceaseless advocate for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and his commitment to a peaceful new society where everyone is valued has been an inspiration to many.”

Speaking of ‘the great Irish possibility’, the former Archbishop said that society must take care not to abandon its faith and the strong social values that made peace a reality. “Post-conflict Ireland has glimpsed what is possible given faith, trust and a willingness to reach out from our historic prisons of mind and heart. I believe Northern Ireland and the Republic together can become the envy of the world. We can become a model of the impossible dream turned into reality. But there can be no true basis for an Ireland at peace with itself if society loses sight of the great principles of the faith and the spiritual truths Ireland has for generations claimed to be its inheritance. An Ireland which turns its collective back on those great truths through any self satisfaction in secular or momentary achievement in society will become an Ireland where peace is not built on a true recognition of human values, human sacrifice, and human worth.”

The Tipperary Peace Award was founded in 1984. The Peace Award Committee describes the aim of the award, which has been made to a range of peacemakers since its inception, as being “to give recognition to those who promote the ideals of peace and peaceful co-operation both in Ireland and abroad. Some (recipients) have taken centre stage; others have worked behind the scenes, in brokering peace accords under the most difficult of circumstances. They are recognised for their courage in the face of adversity, for their perseverance through the most despairing of situations, for their vision and foresight at times when all around was disillusion and despair.”