GFA25 | Presidential Voting Rights | Earth Day

Agreement 25The three days of the conference to mark Agreement 25 at Queens University, a quarter of a century after the Good Friday Agreement, was an opportunity to meet again many of those who were there when the Agreement was thrashed out in 1998. I was particularly happy to see George Mitchell. He was in great form and for me his speech was the highlight of conference. Lucid, reasoned, futuring and compelling. The absence of John Hume, Ian Paisley, Martin McGuinness, David Trimble, Seamus Mallon and David Irvine and others was a reminder of the transient nature of life and the permanency of death.  Voting for the PresidentThis is not the only matter that the Irish Government is failing on. Dublin Castle was the venue last week of “Together Again – Le Chéile Arís” – the third of the Irish government’s Global Irish Civic Forums. These events bring together representatives of the Irish diaspora from across the world to promote a conversation on issues of concern and interest to the diaspora.In Praise Of Tulips. I bought a bag of assorted tulip bulbs before Christmas. I was looking for daffodils and picked up the tulips by mistake. When I discovered this I was disappointed. I love daffodils. Now I love tulips as well. They are in full bloom. In pots. Beautiful bright colours. Pinks and reds.Earth Day – defending our natural environmentLast Saturday was Earth Day. The theme was ‘Invest in Our Planet’ with the emphasis on encouraging businesses and people to use sustainable practices in their everyday work.The first Earth Day took place in April 1970 in the USA. The massive oil spill at Santa Barbara in California in January 1969 and the student anti-Vietnam war movement were the catalysts. Twenty years later the event went global and hundreds of millions participated and set the scene for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.