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Alec Reid

Father Alec Reid (5 August 1931 – 22 November 2013) was an Irish Catholic priest of the Redemptorist Congregation who served as a pivotal clandestine intermediary in the Northern Ireland peace process during the Troubles.^[1] Ordained in 1957 after joining the order in 1949, he spent over four decades based at Clonard Monastery in west Belfast, where he ministered to republican prisoners and cultivated close relationships with Sinn Féin leaders, notably Gerry Adams.^[1] His efforts focused on bridging divides between armed republicanism and constitutional nationalism, facilitating secret communications that laid groundwork for broader negotiations.^[2] Reid's most significant achievements included delivering a crucial 1988 letter from Sinn Féin to SDLP leader John Hume, initiating the Hume-Adams dialogue that encouraged republicans to pursue political means over violence, contributing to the 1993 Downing Street Declaration and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.^[3] He also mediated to resolve internal IRA feuds in 1975 and 1987, and in 2005, alongside Methodist minister Rev. Harold Good, witnessed the IRA's decommissioning of weapons, verifying the putting of arms beyond use under independent oversight.^[1] These actions positioned him as a trusted broker between paramilitary groups, Irish Taoiseach Charles Haughey, and British officials, with Haughey reportedly deeming him the "most important person" in the process.^[2] Amid his peace work, Reid faced controversies stemming from his proximity to the IRA, including suspicions of relaying messages between prisoners and leadership, which he denied, and a high-profile 1988 incident where he administered last rites to two British soldiers killed during an IRA funeral, captured in a widely circulated photograph underscoring the era's brutality.^[1] In 2005, he drew criticism for likening the unionist community to Nazis in a public statement amid decommissioning tensions, later apologizing for the remark made in the "heat of the moment," which strained relations with unionists.^[3] Reid died in Dublin after a prolonged illness, leaving a legacy as a risk-taking peacemaker who prioritized dialogue to halt sectarian violence, though his methods and allegiances remain debated.^[1]

Early Life and Education

Birth and Upbringing

Alec Reid was born Alexander Reid on 5 August 1931 at Leonard's Corner nursing home on South Circular Road in Dublin, Ireland, as the eldest child in his family.^[4] When Reid was six years old, his father died, after which his mother relocated the family to her native Nenagh in County Tipperary, where she remarried her sister's widower, Jack Glennon.^[4]^[1] He spent his childhood and formative years in this rural town, attending the local Christian Brothers school for his early education.^[1]^[2]

Formation and Ordination

Reid joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in August 1949, shortly after turning 18.^[4]^[2] He completed his novitiate and made his simple profession of vows on 8 September 1950 at the Redemptorist house in Esker, County Galway.^[4]^[5] His formation included philosophical and theological studies, during which he pursued a degree in English, history, and philosophy at University College Galway (now National University of Ireland Galway).^[1] Reid was ordained as a priest on 22 September 1957 at the Redemptorist seminary of Cluain Mhuire in Galway.^[4]^[6] Following ordination, he undertook additional pastoral training, completing studies in 1959 before beginning active ministry.^[4]

Religious Ministry

Early Assignments

Following his ordination as a Redemptorist priest on 22 September 1957 in Galway, Alec Reid completed pastoral studies until 1959.^[4] These studies prepared him for active ministry within the order, which emphasized preaching parish missions, retreats, and evangelization efforts targeted at working-class communities.^[6] Reid's initial postings involved brief periods of service in Dublin, Limerick, Galway, and Dundalk, where he participated in parish missions.^[4] In these roles, typical for Redemptorist priests, he conducted itinerant preaching, confessional work, and community outreach, often in urban and rural Irish settings during a time of relative social stability before the intensification of the Northern Ireland conflict.^[1] These assignments, spanning from 1959 to 1961, provided foundational experience in pastoral care but drew him toward areas of social and religious tension, aligning with the order's charism of serving the marginalized.^[6] By early 1961, Reid's ministry had oriented him toward Northern Ireland, though his pre-Belfast work remained focused on the Republic of Ireland's domestic church needs.^[7] No major controversies or distinctive events are recorded from this phase, which served primarily as apprenticeship in the order's missionary apostolate.^[4]

Role at Clonard Monastery

Father Alec Reid joined the Redemptorist community at Clonard Monastery in west Belfast in 1961, following earlier parish mission work in Limerick, Dundalk, and Galway.^[6] ^[8] He remained based there for over four decades, until the late 1990s.^[3] ^[8] In the 1960s, Reid's ministry at Clonard centered on editing the Redemptorist Record magazine (later renamed Reality), conducting missions directed at non-Catholics, offering guided tours of the monastery, and leading retreats for visitors and parishioners.^[4] As a member of the Redemptorist order, which emphasizes preaching to the marginalized, he contributed to core activities such as parish missions and novenas, including the monastery's prominent annual and perpetual novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.^[9] ^[4] Reid continued preaching parish missions across Ireland into the 1980s, drawing on Clonard's location amid Belfast's divided communities to engage in pastoral outreach.^[4] His duties included providing spiritual guidance and sacramental services to the local nationalist population, reflecting the Redemptorists' commitment to redemption and evangelization in challenging environments.^[10]

Involvement in the Peace Process

Initial Republican Contacts

Father Alec Reid's initial contacts with republicans stemmed from his pastoral duties at Clonard Monastery in west Belfast, an interface area amid the escalating violence of the Troubles beginning in 1969.^[11] The Redemptorist community there, including Reid, initiated dialogues with local republican leaders to address community needs and mitigate conflict, despite the Catholic Church's strong public condemnations of IRA actions during this period.^[12]^[11] In the mid-1970s, Reid undertook his first significant mediatory interventions by facilitating resolutions to intra-republican disputes, such as infighting between the Official IRA and Provisional IRA factions.^[1]^[11] These efforts included prison visits to IRA inmates at the Maze Prison, where he built direct connections with republican leadership through discussions aimed at reducing internal violence and exploring alternatives to armed struggle.^[1]^[13] Reid's engagements expanded in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including joint prison discussions with figures like Archbishop Tomás Ó Fiaich and involvement in the 1980-1981 hunger strikes, where he served as a conduit for messages between republican prisoners and external parties.^[11] A key turning point came in 1986 during his first direct conversation with Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, whom Reid pressed on halting IRA violence by asking, "What can you do to stop the IRA?" Adams responded that only a credible peaceful strategy, uniting nationalists including Sinn Féin, the SDLP, and the Irish government, could achieve this.^[14] This exchange, building on prior factional mediations, positioned Reid as an early bridge toward broader nationalist dialogue.^[14]

Facilitation of Secret Communications

Father Alec Reid served as a clandestine intermediary in the Northern Ireland peace process during the 1980s, facilitating back-channel communications between Irish republican leaders, including Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, and figures in the British and Irish governments.^[15]^[4] In 1986, he established direct channels between Adams and the British government, as well as between Adams and Fianna Fáil leader Charles Haughey, enabling the exchange of confidential proposals aimed at ending violence.^[4] These efforts built on earlier informal contacts, including prison visits in the mid-1970s where Reid, alongside Father Des Wilson, mediated between republican prisoners and external parties.^[14] A pivotal development occurred in early 1988, when Reid persuaded Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader John Hume to initiate secret talks with Adams at Clonard Monastery in west Belfast, positioning himself as the mediator to bridge the divide between constitutional nationalists and republicans.^[7] On 16 March 1988, amid heightened tensions following the killings of IRA members in Gibraltar, a loyalist attack at Milltown Cemetery, and the murder of two British army corporals, Reid transported a confidential Sinn Féin position paper from Adams to Hume concealed in a bloodstained envelope under his clerical coat while administering last rites to the corporals.^[7]^[15]^[16] This document outlined republican conditions for peace, marking a critical step in conveying IRA willingness to consider political alternatives to armed struggle.^[7] Reid's mediation extended to relaying messages to UK officials, including a 1987 letter to Northern Ireland Secretary Tom King discussing Hume's communications with republicans, which helped sustain discreet dialogues amid ongoing violence.^[17] By ferrying such proposals, he contributed to re-establishing lapsed secret contacts between the British government and the IRA—originally initiated in 1972—fostering an environment that eventually led to the IRA's 1994 ceasefire.^[7]^[15] His role emphasized negotiation over confrontation, though it drew criticism for perceived sympathy toward republicans, as evidenced by consistent reporting across government and media accounts of the era.^[3]

Clonard Talks and Key Meetings

Father Alec Reid initiated efforts toward dialogue in 1986 by approaching Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams at Clonard Monastery, posing the question, "What can you do to stop the IRA?" Adams responded by outlining the need for a credible peaceful political strategy involving cooperation with the SDLP and the Irish government.^[14] On May 19, 1986, Reid wrote to SDLP leader John Hume to encourage such engagement, prompting Hume to contact Clonard the following day and meet Reid shortly thereafter.^[18] These preliminary discussions laid the groundwork for formal secret talks. The Clonard Talks proper commenced in January 1988, with Reid mediating a series of confidential meetings at the monastery between Hume and Adams.^[7] Held in private rooms at Clonard amid heightened sectarian tensions, including the aftermath of the Gibraltar Three shootings in March 1988—during which Reid assisted a wounded British soldier, staining a message to Hume with the soldier's blood—these sessions sought to forge a pan-nationalist consensus on renouncing violence for political negotiation.^[14] Reid's role as a trusted neutral intermediary, rooted in his long tenure at Clonard since 1961, enabled the exchanges despite mutual suspicions; the talks produced joint statements in April and May 1988 affirming democratic means over armed struggle.^[7] ^[19] Beyond the Hume-Adams dialogue, Reid expanded Clonard's function as a venue for discreet encounters, hosting additional private meetings into the early 1990s that involved Irish government officials and aimed to channel republican perspectives toward broader peace initiatives.^[1] These efforts contributed directly to the IRA's ceasefire announcement on August 31, 1994, by fostering lines of communication that bypassed public impasse and integrated Sinn Féin into multiparty negotiations leading to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.^[7] Reid's facilitation emphasized pragmatic persuasion over endorsement of violence, prioritizing empirical cessation of hostilities as a prerequisite for political progress.^[12]

Witness to IRA Decommissioning

Father Alec Reid, alongside Methodist minister Reverend Harold Good, served as independent eyewitnesses to the Provisional Irish Republican Army's (IRA) final decommissioning of arms in 2005.^[20] Their selection stemmed from Reid's established trust within republican circles, built through decades of clandestine facilitation in the Northern Ireland peace process.^[3] On September 26, 2005, Reid and Good issued a joint statement confirming that the IRA had put its entire arsenal—estimated to include thousands of rifles, handguns, and tonnes of explosives—beyond use, rendering them permanently unusable and inaccessible.^[20]^[21] The decommissioning process, overseen by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning under Canadian General John de Chastelain, involved the destruction or neutralization of weaponry at multiple secure locations.^[22] Reid later detailed that these acts occurred across nine different sites over nine days, ensuring comprehensive verification without revealing specifics that could compromise security.^[23] In their statement, the witnesses emphasized direct observation of the arms being rendered incapable of reuse, stating: "We were able to personally witness the destruction or putting beyond use of these arms."^[20] Reid expressed absolute certainty, declaring, "I am absolutely certain, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that all the arms of the IRA have been decommissioned."^[21] This verification followed the IRA's July 28, 2005, announcement to end its armed campaign, marking a pivotal shift toward exclusively political means.^[7] While the witnesses' account bolstered international confidence, it faced scrutiny from some unionist politicians doubting the totality of compliance; nonetheless, subsequent monitoring confirmed no major IRA armament resurgence tied to this cache.^[24] Reid's involvement underscored his role as a bridge between paramilitary leadership and external verifiers, contributing to the stabilization of the Good Friday Agreement framework.^[3]

Controversies and Criticisms

Sympathy for Republican Violence

Reid faced criticism for statements that critics interpreted as excusing or contextualizing republican violence through historical grievances against unionists and the Stormont regime. In an October 2005 interview following the IRA's announcement of decommissioning, he remarked that "there would have been no IRA but for the way unionists treated nationalists," adding that nationalists had been "treated almost like animals" under unionist rule.^[25] These comments drew accusations of relativizing IRA terrorism by implying it as a response to systemic discrimination rather than condemning it outright.^[26] During the same interview, Reid escalated the rhetoric by comparing unionist treatment of nationalists to how "the Nazis treated the Jews," prompting widespread backlash from unionist politicians and media outlets who viewed it as inflammatory and morally equivocal.^[4] DUP leader Ian Paisley described the analogy as "outrageous," arguing it undermined Reid's peacemaking credentials by echoing republican propaganda that portrayed loyalist actions as the root cause of conflict.^[25] Reid later apologized for the Nazi comparison, clarifying it as an emotional overstatement, but critics maintained it revealed a bias toward republican narratives that downplayed the agency's role in initiating violence.^[27] Earlier, Reid's involvement in the 1981 hunger strikes and his advocacy for republican prisoners were seen by some as tacit sympathy for the IRA's campaign, particularly his emphasis on British government intransigence as provoking escalation rather than focusing solely on the morality of paramilitary tactics.^[12] While Reid consistently urged republicans toward non-violent alternatives from the early 1980s onward—such as in his 1987 letter to Taoiseach Charles Haughey outlining conditions for an IRA ceasefire—detractors argued his reluctance to unequivocally denounce IRA violence without qualifiers about "injustice" enabled its prolongation.^[28] These views contrasted with his public opposition to violence, as evidenced by his mediation in intra-republican feuds and his role in decommissioning, but fueled perceptions among unionists that his peacemaking was predicated on understanding republican motivations sympathetically.^[29]

Provocative Political Statements

In October 2005, during a public meeting at Fitzroy Presbyterian Hall in Belfast attended by around 200 people to discuss IRA decommissioning, Father Alec Reid made remarks comparing the historical treatment of Catholics by unionists in Northern Ireland to the Nazis' persecution of Jews. Responding to questions from victims' campaigner William Frazer, Reid stated that nationalists had been "persecuted for up to 60 years by the unionist community" and treated "almost like animals," adding, "They were treated like the Nazis treated the Jews... You are in the same category as the Nazis as far as I'm concerned."^[30] ^[31] He further attributed primary responsibility for the emergence of the IRA to unionists, claiming, "In so far as we were saddled with the IRA, the primary people responsible for the IRA were the unionist community."^[30] Reid also defended the IRA's operational philosophy, asserting that "it would be completely against their whole philosophy to be attacking anybody in the unionist and Protestant community," emphasizing their focus on opposing British presence rather than targeting Protestants directly.^[30] These statements, delivered amid heated exchanges including audience heckling, drew immediate condemnation from unionist politicians and community figures, who described them as offensive and inflammatory.^[32] ^[33] Reid subsequently apologized for the Nazi comparison, explaining that the remarks were made "in the heat of the moment" during a tense confrontation.^[7] ^[34] The incident overshadowed the meeting's purpose and highlighted ongoing sensitivities around historical grievances in Northern Ireland, though Reid maintained that unionist capabilities represented an asset to Ireland.^[30]

Specific Incidents and Accusations

In October 2005, Father Alec Reid sparked widespread controversy during a public meeting at Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast, where he was questioned about his role as a witness to IRA decommissioning. In response to audience comments challenging his integrity and the neutrality of Clonard Monastery, Reid compared the historical treatment of Catholics by unionists to the Nazis' treatment of Jews, stating that unionists had treated Catholics "like animals" and drawing parallels to Nazi brutality.^[25] This remark prompted immediate outrage, with a victims' group lodging a formal police complaint alleging incitement to hatred, and unionist politicians such as DUP MP Nigel Dodds condemning it as indefensible provocation.^[35]^[36] Reid later apologized, attributing his outburst to feeling "deeply provoked and offended" by the questioning, though critics argued it revealed underlying bias against unionists.^[37]^[26] Reid also faced accusations of involvement in facilitating the escape of an IRA inmate from prison during his ministry to republican prisoners in the Maze (Long Kesh), which he categorically denied.^[4] He was further suspected by authorities of carrying clandestine messages between IRA prisoners and the organization's external leadership, amid his efforts to mediate hunger strikes and other prison disputes in the late 1970s and early 1980s.^[38] These claims stemmed from his close access to inmates and perceived sympathy for republican causes, though no formal charges resulted and Reid maintained his actions were solely pastoral.^[4] In the same 2005 period, Reid drew criticism for publicly accepting the IRA's denial of responsibility for the Northern Bank robbery without reservation, a stance some viewed as overly credulous given the group's history of denial and his prior facilitation role.^[39] This incident fueled broader accusations of partiality toward republicans, particularly as it followed closely on his provocative meeting remarks.^[39]

Death and Legacy

Final Years and Death

In his later years, Father Alec Reid continued to engage in international peace mediation, extending his efforts from Northern Ireland to the Basque region of Spain, where he facilitated dialogue between ETA separatists and Spanish authorities.^[7] This work built on his earlier role in conflict resolution, earning him the Sabino Arana prize from the Sabino Arana Foundation in Bilbao in January 2003 for promoting peace and reconciliation.^[7] Reid remained affiliated with the Redemptorist Order and Clonard Monastery in Belfast, where he had been based for over four decades, though his health began to decline due to a prolonged illness.^[1]^[40] Reid died peacefully on November 22, 2013, at 6:40 a.m. GMT in a Dublin hospital, at the age of 82.^[40]^[41] The Redemptorist Order announced his passing, noting it followed a long illness, though no specific cause was publicly detailed.^[2]^[1] His death prompted tributes from figures across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland, acknowledging his contributions to the peace process despite ongoing debates over his methods.^[41]

Awards and Honors

In recognition of his contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process, Father Alec Reid received the Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award in 2008, shared with Presbyterian minister Rev. Harold Good for their joint witnessing of IRA decommissioning.^[42] He was also awarded the Sabino Arana World Mirror Prize in January 2003 for efforts promoting peace in the Basque Country, following his involvement in related dialogues after relocating to Dublin.^[6] Reid earned an honorary Doctorate in Laws from Queen's University Belfast on September 27, 2004, honoring his facilitation of talks between Sinn Féin, the SDLP, and the Irish government.^[43] In 2006, he was named Person of the Year at the Aisling awards ceremony in Belfast, acknowledging his role as one of two clergymen who verified IRA arms put beyond use.^[44] Additionally, he received the Reflections of Hope Award in 2009 from the Ireland Funds for his lifelong work in the peace process.^[45] Reid was granted honorary degrees from the National University of Ireland, Galway, among other academic honors for his peacemaking initiatives.^[4] These accolades, primarily from Irish and international peace organizations and universities, reflect endorsements of his behind-the-scenes diplomacy, though public recognition was limited compared to political figures in the process.

Balanced Assessments of Impact

Father Alec Reid's facilitation of clandestine dialogues between Sinn Féin leaders and British officials in the late 1980s, including the delivery of key position papers in 1987, marked a foundational shift in republican strategy from armed struggle toward political negotiation, directly contributing to the IRA's 1994 ceasefire announcement.^[7]^[13] His role as an intermediary, grounded in a theology emphasizing dialogue amid suffering, is assessed by historians as indispensable to bridging nationalist divisions and enabling the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.^[46]^[13] Reid's participation as a witness to the IRA's decommissioning of arms on September 3, 2005, further solidified his impact by providing independent verification that bolstered cross-community trust and facilitated power-sharing implementation under the Agreement.^[15] Tributes from figures across the political spectrum, including unionist representatives in the Northern Ireland Assembly, acknowledged his perseverance and integrity in behind-the-scenes efforts that helped avert further bloodshed, with one DUP member highlighting his compassionate response to the 1988 murders of British corporals as emblematic of his peacemaking ethos.^[41]^[47] Critiques of Reid's approach emphasize its limitations in fostering inclusive reconciliation, noting a predominant focus on intra-nationalist and republican-British channels that sidelined loyalist and state-related violence, potentially prolonging sectarian divides.^[13] Statements such as his 2005 comparison of unionist policies toward nationalists to "Nazi treatment of Jews" provoked widespread unionist outrage, reinforcing perceptions of anti-unionist bias and complicating his neutrality, despite a subsequent apology.^[37]^[48] In specific cases, such as the 2005 murder of Robert McCartney, family members accused Reid of pressuring victims' relatives to withdraw legal actions against IRA suspects, actions viewed as prioritizing perpetrator protection over justice and eroding community confidence in clerical mediation.^[49] Assessments thus portray Reid's legacy as profoundly influential in curtailing republican paramilitarism—saving countless lives through de-escalation—yet constrained by a perceived republican sympathy that alienated other stakeholders, underscoring the challenges of partisan-leaning intermediaries in multipartisan conflicts.^[7]^[13] His contributions, while pivotal to ending the Troubles' core violence, highlight that sustainable peace required broader institutional engagements beyond individual clerical initiatives.^[46]

References

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Aug 31, 2014 · "The role Fr Reid played in bringing about the peace process was absolutely critical. He was one of the real non-combatant, non-politician ...
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R. (1931–2013), who was instrumental in the 1980s and early 1990s in the Northern Ireland peace process especially in fostering dialogues within ...
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Letter from Alec Reid to Tom King regarding communications with John Hume, 6 September 1987. Writing Peace: The National Archives of the UK (TNA).
[18]
Unity is about more than a numbers game - Irish Echo
May 23, 2019 · On May 19th 1986 Fr. Alec wrote to John Hume. John phoned Clonard Monastery the next day and the following day he met the Sagart. John and I met ...<|separator|>
[19]
In the middle of it all | english - Scala News
Apr 22, 2022 · Fr Reid was instrumental in bringing Sinn Féin into the political dialogue, a process that would eventually culminate in the 1994 IRA ceasefire.
[20]
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Sep 26, 2005 · "Fr Alec Reid and I are making this statement on the basis of our role as independent eyewitnesses of the process of IRA decommissioning, which ...
[21]
IRA destroys all its arms - The New York Times
Sep 27, 2005 · "I am absolutely certain, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that all the arms of the IRA have been decommissioned," said the Reverend Alec Reid, a ...
[22]
Entire arsenal was destroyed, monitors say | Politics - The Guardian
Sep 26, 2005 · His fellow church witness, Father Alex Reid, a Catholic priest who had been instrumental in paving the way for the first IRA ceasefire, was ...
[23]
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Oct 17, 2006 · The IRA's final decommissioning acts occurred at "nine different places", over "nine days", according to Fr Alec Reid, one of two clergymen ...
[24]
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[26]
Fr Reid unveils true colours in surly knee-jerk reaction
Oct 15, 2005 · IT WOULD be tempting to dismiss the angry comments last week by Belfast priest Fr Alec Reid, in which he compared unionists to Nazis, ...
[27]
Catholic priest who likened Northern Ireland's Protestants to Nazis ...
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Nov 22, 2013 · ... sympathies to his entire family and friends at this time. "Alec opposed violence and understood that the key to making progress was through ...
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[31]
Northern Ireland | Witness likens unionists to Nazis - BBC NEWS | UK
Oct 12, 2005 · ... unionists to Nazis. Fr Alec Reid said Catholics had been treated 'like animals'. The Catholic priest who witnessed IRA ...
[32]
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[33]
Unionists slam Fr Reid over comments - RTE
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[34]
Priest apologises for 'Nazi Unionists' outburst - The Telegraph
Oct 12, 2005 · Father Alec Reid, the Irish priest who was present at the recent IRA decommissioning, has apologised for likening Unionists to Nazis.<|separator|>
[35]
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[36]
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Oct 15, 2005 · The reality is that our historical grievance is the pimple on the backside of the elephant of man's inhumanity to man. It is time we all ...
[37]
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[38]
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[39]
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[40]
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[41]
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[42]
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[43]
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[44]
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[45]
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I certainly recognise Father Alec Reid as a key figure in the Northern Ireland peace process and, undoubtedly, as the Member who spoke previously said, he has ...
[48]
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[49]
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Dec 30, 2013 · By intervening on behalf of the IRA to have assault charges against Geoff's IRA attackers dropped, Alec Reid intervened against the vulnerable, ...Missing: controversies | Show results with:controversies<|control11|><|separator|>