There are rare, even magical, occasions when politicians with opposing beliefs and backgrounds come together to do something great for their country. They focus on crucial issues like giving peace and stability a chance to change the lives of people tired of decades of violence. They put aside long-term political expediency to promote immediate peace. The signing of the Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1998 was one such moment. The Good Friday Agreement ended decades of sectarian violence on the island of Ireland known as ‘The Troubles’. The Troubles created 1,971 political prisoners and many deaths, the most infamous being Bloody Sunday in 1972, when 14 people were shot during a civil protest. In 1979 an IRA volunteer assassinated Lord Louis Mountbatten, a member of the royal family and mentor of now King Charles III. Politicians from diverse backgrounds included Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein when the party still had ties to the IRA. David Trimble was the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Ian Paisley was the once inflexible leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). John Hume was the leader of moderate nationalist SDLP. Bertie Ahern was the Irish prime...
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