not the other. they did not really think abou who they wear themselves, they thought oh, we re not thos guys that s a terrible way to think about yourself the difference, of course, and you got to this earlier, i really this fusion of religion and politics it s never really abou religion as such but you, know very interesting talking, watching you talk t the senator just before th break there. and americans also experiencin in many ways the attempts to fuse a religious identity with a political identity and we know in ireland just ho toxic that becomes and i think in a way it is a pretty gentle way today, that s part of what president biden was reflecting on you make the point about th piece that was finally achieve in belfast which, i have to say, for me in the 1970s and the 19 80s, i was unimaginable that it could
the intersection of conflict and bloodshed once hel terrible sway. the idea, as i said, to have a glass building here when i was here in 1991 was highl unlikely where barbed wire one sliced u the city, today we find cathedral of learning, built o glass, and let the shine light in and out it just has a profound impac for someone who has come bac to see it. and it s an incredible testament to the power of th possibilities of peace the president was in belfast, northern ireland, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a peac agreement known as the goo friday agreement, named for th day was signed 25 years ag after diplomatic interventio by the united states helpe bring the two sides together the two sides in those day were described in news account of that violent period by th difference in their religions. today, president biden remarke about how much has changed i
catherine eugenia finnegan biden were here today, shoul be so damac proud. you know, she special place in her heart, an it really did. and today, we carry her home i our heart, for real. we think about her all the time and coming here feels like coming home. that was president bide today, on his first day in ireland. he began the day with a speech at alcester university i belfast. it s good to see belfast, a city that s alive with commerce, art, and an inspiration. the dividends of peace are all around us. this very campus is situated a the intersection of conflict and bloodshed once hel terrible sway. the idea, as i, said is to hav a glass building here when i was here in 1991 was highl unlikely where barbed wire one sliced u the city, today we find cathedral of learning, built o
glass, and let the shine light in and out it just has a profound impact, for someone who is compact t see it and it s incredible testamen to the power of th possibilities of peace the president was in belfast, northern ireland, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a peac agreement known as the goo friday agreement, named for th day was signed 25 years ag after diplomatic interventio by the united states helpe bring the two sides together the two sides in those day were described in news account of that violent period by th difference in their religions. today, president biden remarke about how much has changed i northern ireland in the 25 years of peace young people, like amy clint, born in 2000, whose parent like to tell a story about how she came home from her first day of secondary school an
asked what s the differenc between a protestant and a catholic what s the difference between protestant and catholic? she didn t grow up thinking in sectarian divides. joining us now, finnega o toole, columnist and write for the irish times. he is the author of the ne york times bestselling book we don t know ourselves, personal history of modern ireland. fintan o toole, for us it pretty surprising that a kid could now grew up in belfast and get all the way to hig school before wondering what s the difference between a protestant and catholic. and when i heard that question today i thought, oh, there is question, there is a questio for o toole tonight. let s see if it explained that one to america [laughter well, you know, lawrence, it i wonderful to think that that might be a question. because of course, for so long these identities were just s tribally opposed, that eac side thought of itself as bein