If one could only teach the English how to talk and the Irish how to listen society here would be quite civilized.

It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect for everything and everybody.

But let's just say I'm Irish. I grew up in the 1950s. Religion had a very tight iron fist.

London in the '70s was a pretty catastrophic dump I can tell you. We had every kind of industrial trouble we had severe energy problems we were under constant terrorist attack from Irish terrorist groups who started a bombing campaign in English cities politics were fantastically polarized between left and right.

But I liked Yeats! That wild Irishman. I really loved his love of language his flow. His chaotic ideas seemed to me just the right thing for a poet. Passion! He was always on the right side. He may be wrongheaded but his heart was always on the right side. He wrote beautiful poetry.

As they say one thing led to another and ultimately the British and Irish governments asked me to serve as chairman of the peace negotiations which ironically began six years ago this week.

But if republicans are to prevail if the peace process is to be successfully concluded and Irish sovereignty and re-unification secured then we have to set the agenda - no-one else is going to do that.

You think that religion is a thing that is there to help you and to see you through life and then you wake up one morning and find the entire Irish situation the civil war that's based on religion.

I must admit even though I'm the product of two Jewish parents I think the Irish temper got in there somewhere so I'm going to check Mom's genealogy.

I am delighted with the strong vote I have received. My message of positive leadership patriotism and commitment clearly was resonating with tens of thousands of ordinary Irish people.