Passing The Torch: Senator George Mitchell Urges Young People To Sustain Northern Ireland’s Peace

By Jess Donohue

Senator George Mitchell played a historic role in the Northern Ireland peace process, earning a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for his work brokering the 1998 Good Friday Agreement [1]. Senator Mitchell became the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland under President Bill Clinton in 1995. In 1999, he was installed as the eighth Chancellor of Queen’s University and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Truman Institute Peace Prize for his role in advancing peace in Northern Ireland [2].

Senator Mitchell, now 91, returned to Queen’s University Belfast on Wednesday, April 16th, for the ‘Passing the Torch’ event in Whitla Hall. The event offered young people an opportunity to explore how their passion and energy can shape political decisions and help build a better future for generations to come [3]. Senator Mitchell urged young people to stay in Northern Ireland, engage in shaping the future, and ensure peace endures, emphasising that sustaining the peace process is their responsibility for future generations.

Mitchell had a clear message to the young people of Northern Ireland: that they were needed. He advised them not to leave Northern Ireland or to leave peace up to fate. He said that while peace was “normal” now, complacency can be a danger. He stated that peace must be constantly preserved, calling on the next generation to ensure that peace will grow, not fade away. Senator Mitchell emphasised the importance of passing on a better future, saying: “To leave to the next generation peace, freedom, opportunity, and the hope of a better future for their children.”

He told the audience present to shape their future, leading it with a “wave of hope”, highlighting the importance of hope and unity. Mitchell mentioned that there’s still a lot of divisive political talk and said that peace has to “evolve” to include everyone, especially minorities. He stressed the need to share ideas, achievements, and even losses across communities in order to build an inclusive future: he said that;

“The future is not about losing. It is about gaining. And it is therefore, once again, about sharing. Sharing ideas. Sharing plans. Sharing successes. And, yes, if they occur, sharing losses. Going forward, we need to be prepared for any mistakes we might make. We must be agile enough to recorrect where necessary. We need to listen across the divides. We need to be fully informed. We need to tune out the disinformation. We need to shoulder the burdens together.”

The ‘Passing the Torch’ event brought together more than 800 secondary school pupils and Queen’s students. Following Senator Mitchell’s keynote, Claire Graham (Senior Broadcast Journalist, BBC NI) facilitated a panel discussion , the panel spoke about the question ‘Is Gen Z Really Disillusioned with Democracy?’. The panel included Dany Shibu (Board Member, Politics in Action), Chloe Martin (Student, Queen’s University Belfast) and Jade Gill (PhD Student, University of Limerick, they covered a range of topics, including votes for 16 year olds. Dr. Ryan Feeney, QUB’s Governance and External Affairs VP, admired the “hunger” he saw amongst the young people to evolve peace. Ireland’s. Minister for Further and Higher Education, James Lawless TD was also present at the event. He echoed the words of Senator Mitchell on the important role young people play for the future of peace;

“The young people in this room are the future of this island. The leaders, the thinkers, the makers, the creators.” …“We’ve come a long way. But there’s more to do — and the journey belongs to them now” [4][5].

In conclusion, Mitchell’s main message was clear: the next generation must keep working to maintain peace. His powerful words “We pass the torch to you” remind us that the future of Northern Ireland lies in the hands of young people, and if we work in unity, that future and the future of peace is certainly bright.

References

[1] BBC News. “George Mitchell Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.” BBC News, 9 May 2011. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13395910

[2] Queen’s University Belfast. “Timeline of the George Mitchell Institute.” Accessed 27 Apr 2025. https://www.qub.ac.uk/Research/GRI/mitchell-institute/timeline/

[3] Queen’s University Belfast. “Passing the Torch Event.” Accessed 27 Apr 2025. https://www.qub.ac.uk/home/Filestore/passing-the-torch.pdf

[4] Robinson, M., (2025). “Senator George Mitchell Urges Next Generation to Stay in North and Not Leave Peace to Fate.” The Irish News, 27 Apr 2025. https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/senator-george-mitchell-urges-next-generation-to-stay-in-north-and-not-leave-peace-to-fate-3W2UMBWCEZEXBJIER6SGGVFXLE/

[5] O’Shea, K., (2025). “Peace must “evolve,” Senator George Mitchell tells students in Belfast.” Irish Central, 27 Apr 2025. https://www.irishcentral.com/news/george-mitchell-peace

[6] Belfast Telegraph (2025). “George Mitchell: Former US Senator and GFA Negotiator – Queen’s Speech in Full.” The Belfast Telegraph, 27 Apr 2025. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/george-mitchell-former-us-senator-and-gfa-negotiator-queens-speech-in-full/1435991603.html