It’s a long, long way to Tipperary....”
The clarion call for many thousands of young men, who lost their lives in what mankind believed would be the war to end all wars. Many of the dead were Irish, and indeed many were in fact from that very Golden Vale, to which the song refers. Ironically, the Great War as it was known, turned out to be the prelude to an even more horrific conflict just 19 years later. Since then, the technology has developed at a mesmeric rate...to the point at which man learnt how to destroy entire countries and their populations, within seconds. Against this background, it is perhaps fitting that a small group from the same Tipperary, should try to learn from the past, when attempting to plan for a peaceful future.
The Tipperary Peace Award was founded in 1984. It’s principal aim...to give recognition to those who promote the ideals of peace and peaceful co-operation both in Ireland and abroad. Over the past years, the Prize has been awarded to a range of peacemakers. Some have taken centre stage; others have worked behind the scenes, in brokering peace accords under the most difficult of circumstances. They are recognised for their courage in the face of adversity, for their perseverance through the most despairing of situations, for their vision and foresight at times when all around was disillusion and despair.
The recipients are extraordinary achievers, who have overcome innumerable Everest’s along the way, in order to achieve the unthinkable...
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South African President Nelson Mandela
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Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
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The late Senator Gordon Wilson
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Live-Aid organiser Bob Geldof
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US Senator George Mitchell
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Former Prime Minister of Lebanon, the late Rafic Hariri
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Retired Archbishop of Armagh, Lord Robin Eames
Theses are just some of the worthy recipients of the award.
The only one of its kind in the country, The Tipperary Peace Award has already achieved national and international acclaim. In this, the era of ‘sound byte’ media coverage of world events...the Award has year after year emerged on international television screens and newspapers as the ultimate ‘good news’ story.
Too often accused of concentrating on hardship, misery and death...the media highlights the annual award ceremony as a brilliant contrast to the doom and gloom of everyday news. But what significance does the Tipperary Peace Prize hold for the winners? When he visited Ireland in 1989, Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his deep appreciation of the Tipperary Peace Convention’s response to his efforts to make the world a better place to live in.
The 1993 winners, Mona Juul and Terje Larsen, two of the key backroom negotiators in putting together the Israel/PLO Peace Agreement, said the award would act as a continuing inspiration for their work in the Middle East.
Nelson Mandela thanked the people of Tipperary for their belief in him and his cause ...the 1989 Tipperary Crystal Peace Trophy now takes pride of place alongside Mandela’s Nobel Peace Prize in the Presidential Office in Capetown.
The late Senator Gordon Wilson was overwhelmed by his award in 1988...tearfully admitting he never thought it could be so touching.
In its short history, the Tipperary Peace Award has evolved into much more than a tribute to the peacemakers. It has served as a reminder to us all of what man is capable of achieving. We see the great humility with which the prize is accepted and the genuine appreciation displayed by the winners. These are people who are not used to receiving; they have devoted their lives to giving. Whereas the award serves as an inspiration to them, they in turn serve as an inspiration to us all. An example of what can be achieved, against what seems insurmountable odds.
Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
In the “Post-Troubles” Ireland of the year 2008, the Tipperary Peace Award is a beacon...signaling a brighter future, a reminder that the truth is stranger than fiction and that anything is possible as long as there is hope.