Expressing the Hope for Justice for the Victims of Bloody Sunday

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEUSER. I yield myself such time as I may consume, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Keating, and wish him a happy Saint Patrick's Day as well as thank him for bringing this resolution to the floor today.

Madam Speaker, happy St. Patrick's Day.

This January marked the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday when British troops in Derry, Northern Ireland, shot at a crowd of innocent protesters, killing 14 people. This unjustified act of violence marks a low point in the difficult history of Ireland in the 20th century. In fact, Bloody Sunday was just one of many tragic episodes during the Troubles which lasted 33 years and resulted in as many as 3,000 deaths.

This bipartisan resolution we are considering today commemorates this solemn anniversary. It also serves to remind the world that there is still work to be done to achieve full reconciliation and safeguard a lasting peace for all Irish people.

With the support of the United States, the 1998 Good Friday Agreement brought an end to the violence that characterized the Troubles and began a process to establish peace in Northern Ireland. Stories about atrocities, violence, and repression began to recede from the headlines. Today, Northern Ireland's story is one of prosperity, freedom, and peace.

Issues remain, however, and the United States and the U.S. Congress must continue to engage strongly in the pursuit of an enduring peaceful future for Northern Ireland.

The Good Friday Agreement signed in 1998 is the best framework to achieve this noble end. While post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland have posed challenges to this historic agreement, both sides have worked in good faith to resolve them. This resolution also encourages both the European Union and Great Britain to continue acting in good faith negotiations to implement Brexit's Northern Ireland protocol.

I support our transatlantic allies' efforts to find a more workable solution for trade not only at the north-south Irish land border, but also at the Irish Sea border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to continue the U.S. legacy of supporting a lasting peace in Northern Ireland by joining me in supporting this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. MEUSER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I do thank my colleagues for their articulate, eloquent, and important words: Chairman Neal, my friend Representative Boyle, Chairman Keating, and Representative Jackson Lee.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I again thank Chairman Keating for his work on this bipartisan resolution to commemorate the anniversary of a tragic time in Northern Ireland.

It is fitting we are considering this resolution on St. Patrick's Day, a day when many Americans proudly display their Irish heritage, including my own family. My mother, formerly Maeve McMenomy; her father, my grandfather, Philip McMenomy, who descended directly from Ireland. As a matter of fact, my mother's mother was from Ukraine.

As you can imagine, we know how to get our Irish up in our family and enjoy St. Patrick's Day and also reflect on the important history in Ireland as well as the very unwarranted and deadly and destructive events taking place in Ukraine currently.

Today, we can also say that we are at peace, perhaps proud. The scenes of violence from the past years in Ireland have subsided that have reigned for more than 20 years.

I was sorry to hear that the Irish Prime Minister tested positive for COVID yesterday, so we all wish him a speedy recovery.

I do look forward to the United States and Ireland continuing to build on our strong relationship and advance our shared interests.

This resolution is important right now, because we have had, Madam Speaker, far too many Bloody Sundays, including in the United States. March 7, 1965, was a terrible Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. The last several Sundays in Ukraine have been as well, with unnecessary bloodshed without justification.

In the words of a good Irishman, Bono of the band U2: ``No more.''

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. It is critical that the U.S. Congress speaks with one voice toward promoting lasting peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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