Irish America needs to send a clear message to the British Government: "We are Not Going Back"

I am proud to say that Irish America has played a key part in the Irish peace process that ended the conflict that ravaged Northern Ireland for 30 years.

It was Irish Americans who forced the peace process on to the agenda of the Clinton Administration. When Brexit threatened the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, Irish America worked with allies, both Democrats and Republicans, on Capitol Hill to protect the hard-won peace process.

Now is the time for Irish America to once again stand up for the peace process. As many people know, a sad and tragic issue from the past has emerged: the Orange Order’s parade in Drumcree through a Catholic and nationalist area (Garvaghy Road) is once again a possibility. For reasons that many others and I do not understand, the Parades Committee (the government body that regulates these events) has brought the Drumcree issue back on the agenda.

For background, in the late 1990s, political violence around the Drumcree convulsed Northern Ireland. Observers at the time speculated about Northern Ireland drifting into civil war. 21 people died in the violence surrounding Drumcree, including the three Quinn brothers, Jason (aged eight), Mark (aged nine), and Richard (aged 10), who were murdered by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in a firebomb attack on their home.

Sadly, recent decisions have made us revisit this terrible history in Northern Ireland. Some background is needed here. Parades like what has been proposed again in Drumcree happen throughout Ireland (both North and South). These events happen without any violence or turmoil. Hundreds of hard-won compromises are put in jeopardy by the possibility of an Orange Order parade down the Garvaghy Road.

All of this is very troubling for Irish America. There is a straightforward way to put this genie that threatens to undermine the peace back in the bottle. The British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Bryant, has the power to ban the Drumcree march. Bryant will take political heat from the Unionist community in Northern Ireland and from the Conservative party in Great Britain for banning the march, but it will protect the peace process.

The Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus, a bipartisan group co-chaired by Democrat Richard Neal from Massachusetts and Republican Mike Kelly from Pennsylvania, sent a letter on October 1 to Bryant saying that:

"This is a consequential moment on the island of Ireland, which is why we respectfully urge you to put a stop to this march. Failing to intervene and allowing this contentious parade to move forward would risk undermining the progress that has been painstakingly built over the past three decades. As a guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the United States has a vested interest in seeing the principles embodied in the accord upheld, ensuring the gains we have achieved can be enjoyed for generations to come."

In addition to Neal and Kelly, the letter to Northern Ireland Secretary Bryant was signed by Reps. Timothy M. Kennedy, William R. Keating, Brendan F. Boyle, Val Hoyle, Lloyd Doggett, Debbie Dingell, Stephen F. Lynch, James P. McGovern, John B. Larson, James Gallagher, Joe Courtney and Jimmy Gomez.

So, Irish America, it is time once again to speak up for the peace process in Ireland. Check the list of members of Congress who have signed the letter to Bryant. If your members of Congress have not signed the letter, take a moment and contact them. You can use this website to find your member of Congress.

Now is the time for all of us who care about peace in Ireland to make our voices heard!

This article was submitted to the IrishCentral contributors network by a member of the global Irish community. To become an IrishCentral contributor click here.