Ted's knighthood sign of peaceful Irish times

Not so many years ago, the idea of Queen Elizabeth II granting Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy an honorary knighthood would have been hard for Irish-Americans and Britons alike to imagine -- and hard for some to swallow.

Today, when British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told a joint session of Congress that Kennedy was being so honored, there was nothing but applause in the chamber, and only minimal grumbling elsewhere over the British accolade for the icon of Irish-Catholic politics in America.

That’s a sign of how far Britain, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United States have come in the nearly 11 years since the Good Friday agreement in April 1998 brought centuries of hostilities to an end. Sure, the American architect of that accord, former Maine Senator George Mitchell -- whose father was of Irish ancestry -- received an honorary knighthood a year later for his peace work. But Kennedy was an especially vocal spokesman for Irish nationalists and their grievances, demanding justice as well as peace.

Not everyone was thrilled. The Evening Standard newspaper quoted Conservative Member of Parliament Michael Ancram as saying: “I have to question the appropriateness of the award. I was surprised because those who really helped in Northern Ireland, like George Mitchell, made it clear they worked for both parts of the community whereas Ted Kennedy visibly supported one part, the Republican movement.”

Kennedy himself wasn’t in the chamber when Brown spoke; the 77-year-old Democrat was resting and receiving treatment for the brain cancer that struck him last May. But Kennedy was warmly appreciative in his public statement accepting the honor, recalling the deep ties between the Kennedy family and Great Britain.

It was noteworthy that neither Brown nor Kennedy felt the need to dwell on Northern Ireland.

Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal, a longtime campaigner for the nationalist cause in Northern Ireland, was among those who escorted Brown into the joint session. Neal later told the Globe’s Susan Milligan it was remarkable that Brown could make such a speech without having to talk about violence in the North.

New York Congressman Peter King, who joined Neal as an escort for Brown, marveled that his Irish ancestors would be rolling in their graves if they could see him lauding a British prime minister.

Sister Lena Deevy, executive director of the Irish Immigration Center in Boston, said the honorary knighthood was about more than Ireland. “I think it’s a reflection of the phenomenal work that Senator Kennedy has done over the years to bring about peace. Kennedy is someone who has reached across the aisle, in Washington and worldwide. He brought people together and built bridges. His life has been about finding common ground, even with people he disagreed with.”

Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy, the Senator’s son, told Milligan that his father had joked to him, “I hope the Irish don’t get angry with me for accepting it.” Pretty recently, that wouldn't have been cause for laughter.