Cowen Makes Peace on Capitol Hill

Bertie Ahern will always be known as a peace maker thanks to his role in the Northern Ireland peace process.

But Brian Cowen is also entitled to carry the same title, as according to President Barack Obama - our Taoiseach has the power to bring peace between the Democrats and the Republicans in the Houses of Congress.

Just after the traditional Shamrock Ceremony, President Obama brought Brian Cowen and the Irish entourage for lunch in Capitol Hill and joked that the Taoiseach was the only man who could unite the two parties at the moment.

Describing the lunch, President Obama said it is ‘a tradition in which Democrats and Republicans put aside partisanship and unite around one debate only - who is more Irish than whom’.

“So I thank the Taoiseach in advance for bringing relative peace to Washington - for at least this day,” he said!!

Among the many guests at the Speakers Lunch on Capitol Hill include Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, SDLP leader Mark Durcan, Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.