Addressing Capitol Hill

Often dubbed the capital of the North Coast, Coleraine is where I call home.

My second home is Belfast, where I am studying at Queen’s University for a Masters in Irish politics. I am delighted and proud to tell you that I have lived in Northern Ireland for all of my 23 years and would not change that fact.

Well I wouldn’t have last week, but coming to your magnificent city has certainly questioned my allegiance somewhat.

I am a Unionist from the product of my upbringing and my own generated beliefs. My mother is a Protestant whose father was an Orangeman.

My father was a British soldier who came to Northern Ireland in the Troubles. My allegiance to the British crown is therefore entrenched in my family history. In addition, I am a nationalist, however, a British nationalist.

It is often forgotten that there is a large number of people in Northern Ireland who subscribe to the ideological notion of being British.

They feel pride when the Union Jack is flown and a sense of patriotism when they sing God Save the Queen. I was never brought up to identify with Gaelic Ireland, so a United Ireland in this respect would forfeit my identity as well as many others.

My belief in the Union leads me to believe in Northern Ireland as an entity. Northern Ireland is a fantastic place full of remarkable people that you will never find anywhere else in the world. We have a great sense of humour.

But the pain of our recent history, of course, runs deep within both sides of the community. We knew something had to change. It is important to acknowledge the help we received from the British and Irish administrations.

It is also equally important to acknowledge the US input, from the support of former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush to the wonderful host families who continue to welcome us into their homes.

Ultimately, however, it is the people of Northern Ireland who determined the lasting peace we live in today and I believe we should celebrate this. For me, this means moving on and working together towards a better Northern Ireland of normal politics, rather than the orange and green politics we have become accustomed to.

We are moving forward in Northern Ireland. Through an internship with the Northern Ireland Assembly I saw first hand our politicians at work.

The media tends to emphasise the hostility between the political parties in Northern Ireland. The infamous Chuckle Brothers photograph of then First Minister Ian Paisley and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness sharing a joke seemed to be the first occurrence of friendly interaction between the parties.

My experience in Stormont taught me that behind the closed doors this phenomenon was not new, the parties were already working together amicably and successfully so.

Another example of Northern Ireland moving successfully forward is evident in the recent British general election. Independent Unionist Lady Sylvia Hermon and Naomi Long, a member of the Alliance Party, an all-inclusive political party in NI, were both successful gaining seats in the House of Commons.

Both women reached out to every community within their constituency and dedicated their work to helping those at the grass roots level. Their votes were gained through hard work, not tribal affiliations.

This brings me to the reason to why I am here today: the Washington Ireland Program.

I applied to the Program because of the values it promotes, primarily service and leadership. I aspire to be a leader within Northern Ireland and already the Program has given me a renewed sense of confidence to follow through on these aspirations.

For example, after meeting the my fellow students in April this year, their incredible stories and achievements inspired me to put myself forward as a candidate for the local government elections in 2011.

For me, this is the message of the Washington Ireland Program that by bringing people together we can move on from the animosities of the past and drive forward as the leaders of tomorrow.