Video: Barnier sees light in Seamus Heaney's Bealtaine-inspired ode to Europe and remembers talking peace with John Hume
Thirteen years ago the late Derry poet wrote the poem to celebrate the enlargement of the European Union on May 1, 2004, or ‘Bealtaine’ in the Irish calendar, when bonfires were traditionally lit to mark the beginning of summer.
Addressing the Oireachtas yesterday the Gaulist politician quoted a verse from the poem, which runs: “So on a day when newcomers appear; Let it be a homecoming and let us speak; The unstrange word, as it behoves us here; Move lips, move minds and make new meanings flare.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMr. Barnier went on to address fears over the potential creation of a hard border, the possibility of fresh customs tariffs and the prospect that the Good Friday Agreement could be undermined by Brexit.
“Many in Ireland fear the return of tensions in the North. Today, in front of these two Houses, I want to reassure the Irish people that in these negotiations, Ireland’s interests will be the European Union’s interests. We are in these negotiations together and a united EU will be there for Ireland,” he told members of both the Dáil and Seanad.
Ahead of a scheduled meeting with border dairy farmers today, he said he wanted to listen to their concerns and learn from their experiences.
“Some might be concerned about exports to the UK or the return of customs checks at the border while others might fear a return to the instability of the past.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“In Northern Ireland, lifting the border took time and it was only 15 years ago that checkpoints and controls totally disappeared, thanks to the Good Friday Agreement that ended decades of violence.
“I was the European Commissioner in charge of the PEACE programme and I have not forgotten my conversations with Mr. John Hume and Mr. David Trimble on that point. I
“I understand the European Union’s role in strengthening dialogue in Northern Ireland and in supporting the Good Friday Agreement.