Mark Carney pays tribute to John de Chastelain in Dublin

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has paid tribute to a general who "helped forge" Northern Ireland's peace process.

Mr Carney was speaking at the inaugural De Chastelain Public Lecture at Trinity College Dublin as part of his two-day visit to Ireland.

The lecture is named after Canadian General John de Chastelain, who was head of the international body charged with decommissioning paramilitary arms in Northern Ireland.

He was present in the university’s examination Hall as Mr Carney said it was an "honour" to be speaking under the banner of his name.

Mr Carney said: "After a lifetime of service, General John de Chastelain’s seminal work helped forge and implement the Good Friday Agreement.

"Peace is never guaranteed. It cannot simply be signed into reality.

"It is brokered, and built, and embodied by brave and compassionate individuals like General De Chastelain."

Mr Carney said Gen De Chastelain "imagined better possibilities that others did not see".

He added: "He was ambitious. He understood the power of connection, obligation, and trust.

"For us, gathered here to honour his legacy, this is our charge: We must imagine better possibilities, we must recognise the importance of our shared world view and weave webs of connection, obligation, and trust – across borders and generations."

Build together

Referencing the words of Trinity alumnus Edmund Burke, Mr Carney added: "If we can do this, if we build together and with his ambition, we can arrive at a future worthy of 'those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born’."

Mr De Chastelain said it was "always a pleasure to hear the prime minister speak".

Speaking to the Press Association after the lecture, he said it was a "pleasure" to be at the event.

Asked about the tribute to him, Mr De Chastelain said: "A lot of people were involved, you know – people keep saying what a wonderful job I did, but I wasn’t alone.

"There were a number of people – and the most important people were the people of Ireland, North and South – who wanted more than anything else to an end to violence."

He added: "So, we received a lot of help, it wasn’t as though we were struggling on our own. We were getting a lot of help.

"We were getting a lot of hindrance by some people who didn’t believe in what we were doing – but it didn’t amount to much."

Asked for his assessment of how things have developed since his work, Mr De Chastelain said: "I hope fine. I have very little to do with Ireland now but, as far as I know: politically, economically, internationally; I think both countries are thriving.

"Ireland – as a whole – was a wonderful place and they’re playing a very important part in the world, so, yeah, it’s great to go back."

At a later event at Dublin Castle, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described Mr De Chastelain as "truly great Canadian".

He said: "General, your dedication to peace and reconciliation helped to change the course of this island’s history.

"Your determination, your skill for negotiation, patience, and unwavering moral leadership were invaluable, and our debt to you – a debt owed by everyone who calls this island home – is as great today as it was on those historic days."