By George Houde
Irish American Post Chicago Bureau

As the newly appointed British consul for Northern Ireland in press and public affairs, Andy Pike will be trying to deliver the official word about the troubled land to Americans who are already preoccupied with troubles of their own. That message includes the British perspective on the peace process and where the peace process is on any given day. 

Pike acknowledges that delivering the official message on Northern Ireland in a country wedded to quaint visions of The Quiet Man will pose a challenge. Not only that, Northern Ireland and its never-ending strife remains low on the international radar screen, given the war in Iraq and world terrorism. Still, Pike expresses optimism for the future and believes things may be changing as the often frosty relationship between Irish Americans and the Northern Irish state appears to be thawing a bit. 

"We’re starting to see things begin between Northern Ireland and the U.S.," said Pike. "For instance, a group of emergency medical people from New York are going to the training center in Omagh to learn about trauma care." 

Sending a trauma team to learn what Irish paramedics learned in the infamous Omagh bombing and other terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland is not exactly the happiest of occasions, but it could be the beginning of wider exchanges and a different attitude toward the north. 

"Nobody in New York thinks of taking a vacation in Northern Ireland," Pike acknowledged. "So right now I don’t think we’re in the business of engaging the wider American public, but things are changing." 

Change in the north remains slow, but perceptible. He noted that the familiar hulking personnel carriers that police used to patrol the streets of Belfast and Londonderry have given way to normal police cars. The graffiti and murals of gunmen wearing ski masks have changed and the tone of the country is softening, he said. In one place in Belfast, a rendering of the Titanic has replaced the shadowy gunmen mural, he said. The famous ship was built in the city. 

And for the first time, a group of Northern Ireland leaders spoke to the Kennedy Group, an assembly of Irish Americans, to plead the case for loyalist causes. 

"They learned this from the IRA," said Pike. "They told the Kennedy Group, ‘We know you’re green to the heart, but here’s our case.’ When they finished they received a standing ovation." 

In Chicago for a North American meeting of British consular public affairs coordinators, Pike met with representatives of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s office and traveled to Milwaukee to visit the Center for Celtic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He met with The Irish American Post over lunch at the famous Berghoff restaurant in Chicago’s Loop. 

A native of Wales, Pike has been a career diplomat and has had extensive postings abroad, including a stint at the British Embassy in Dublin. He took a break from the diplomatic corps to work for the BBC before taking his current government position. In the States, he will work out of the British Consulate General office in New York. 

There may be less political violence and an easing of tensions, but Northern Ireland still seems poised on the edge of civil disorder. The bitterness of decades of feuding and bloodletting will not soon go away, Pike agreed. 

"There are 1,800 unsolved murders in Northern Ireland and each of those is important to the families," said Pike, making reference to the recently released Cory Report and its recommendation of far-reaching inquiries into the murders Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson, Billy Wright and Robert Hamil. The inquiries would be to determine whether there was collusion between loyalist paramilitary forces and British government agencies in the murders. 

Pike said the possibility of a truth and reconciliation commission as part of a healing process for the North remains a distinct possibility. 

He also noted that with a decrease in the paramilitary operations in the north, common crime has increased. He attributed much of it to the paramilitary groups which have time on their hands. In addition, Northern Ireland has not shared in the same economic boom of the Irish Republic and unemployment is a problem. 

"Criminality is at an all-time high. That’s what the paramilitaries have turned to," said Pike. "Much of the activity is on the loyalist side." 

Ending the paramilitary organizations and gaining control over arms caches remain major goals of the peace process, he said. Pike predicted a shift into overdrive by the British government to achieve those ends, as well as a continuing attempt to persuade Sinn Féin to join the Police Board. 

"It would be a monumental jump forward and everyone is encouraging them to join, including the U.S. and the Catholic Church," said Pike. He added that Sinn Féin has declined, saying it needs to maintain its own intelligence operations and arms. 

Hope is blooming, however, particularly in the Catholic community and the entire country is hoping for another peaceful marching season. 

"Last year was the quietest in recent history and we hope we can build on that," said Pike. Animosity remains, but tolerance is growing, he said. "The people who lived in the neighborhoods where the marches occurred just sort of gritted their teeth. I think most people will agree there is no going back to violence."