Global reconciliation: McKinney humanitarian hosts Irish delegates in mission for peace

Harry McKillop's life reads like an adventure novel, evidenced through the array of framed photos along the hallways of his historic Victorian home in downtown McKinney.

The 91-year-old enjoys reliving his trip to Moscow, a helicopter ride he made around the world with his friend Ross Perot and a meeting with then-President George W. Bush aboard Air Force One. He even has an elementary school named after him in Melissa, symbolizing the level of gratitude and respect the Connecticut native has garnered for his humanitarian efforts.

Last month, McKillop continued his most recent mission - mending the wounds of his homeland - by welcoming Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to his McKinney home as part of his "Irish Spirit Program."

McKillop started the initiative nearly 10 years ago on behalf of Perot to promote stronger trading, investment and tourism links between Texas and Northern Ireland.

The ministers led the delegation to Texas as colleagues in government, working together to build the "peace to prosperity phase" of the overall Northern Ireland Peace Process.

The ministers were once utterly opposed within Northern Ireland's deeply polarized society. Known as "The Troubles," the Northern Ireland conflict spanned decades and began in the late 1960s, triggered in part by the volatile relationship between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist communities.

Unionists wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom, and Irish nationalists generally wanted it to leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland.

The Troubles are marked by strikes, riots and violence that claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people between 1969 and 2001. A ceasefire in 1994 ultimately led to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

Even though family and unity are strongly revered in Northern Ireland - with families so big it's like the children "come out of the walls," McKillop said - unifying the region has been a stunted process because of the history of violence.

"It's very satisfying that they would be together and see them working together," McKillop said of his recent visitors. "The old-timers can't forget the atrocities on both sides. I'm trying to mend insurmountable fences."

A proud descendent of the seaside town of Ballycastle on the northeastern coast of Ireland, McKillop's interest in bringing success to his home country is rooted in his ancestry. In the 1890s, his great grandparents took a horse and buggy and their belongings down to Belfast to board the immigrant ship bound for New York City, where they began their life in America.

McKillop, who personally invited the ministers for the brunch and barbecue, said he was delighted to host the distinguished visitors. For him, playing a part in the Irish Peace Process more than a century after his family fled famine is a lifelong achievement, no matter how small his contribution.

"He enjoys his family history; he's really done a lot of research," said Catherine Hughes, McKillop's assistant for roughly 25 years. "Sometimes we have to dig for it, but it's very interesting."

To complete last month's celebration, guests were treated to a rendition of the Irish anthem "Danny Boy," sang by Howard Crosby, nephew of Bing Crosby. Later that evening, McKillop presented the 10th annual Irish Spirit Program Medal to the ministers at the Inaugural Texas Emerald Ball at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas.

Working behind the scenes for Perot for nearly 35 years, McKillop has been one of the driving forces behind the Texas billionaire's philanthropic endeavors for which he's known.

A lifelong friend and colleague of McKillop, Perot established The Harry McKillop Irish Spirit Award in 2003 to acknowledge and support outstanding humanitarians of American or Irish descent. The two met in 1969 when Perot leased an airplane from McKillop, who at that time was an airline executive at Braniff, Inc. Over the Christmas holiday, Perot had invited members of the press and several wives of Vietnam POWs to foster delivery of food and supplies to the captive soldiers.

"In typical fashion, he didn't have all the pieces he needed, but it was good," McKillop said with a chuckle. "I decided I wanted to go on that plane with him ... and I never stopped adventuring since. He's one-of-a-kind."

McKillop, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II, also helped Perot bring back POWs from Vietnam in the mid-1970s. Although their efforts succeeded in reuniting five soldiers with their families, McKillop said he felt they did not bring back enough.

McKillop made additional trips in the 1970s and 1980s to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to continue his search for Americans.

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Defense honored McKillop with the top civilian award for humanitarian service to country.

"[Perot] describes the things I do almost in that exaggerated manner; he loves to talk about them," McKillop said. "Sometimes I worry it makes me seem pompous."

Through Perot's support, McKillop has engaged with numerous cross-community projects in Northern Ireland with positive results. Last month's meeting was the second time McKillop has invited Northern Ireland representatives to his home to help reconcile their differences. This meeting was much more successful than the last, in 2005, a moment McKillop compared to dining with "cats and dogs."

Looking to the future, McKillop has no doubt Northern Ireland will continue to strengthen as a nation and hopes his efforts will carry on, describing the peace process as "the unstoppable momentum of social and economic progress in Ireland."

McKillop, who still has relatives in Ballycastle, said he thinks his ancestors would be proud of his work.

"It was a success," he said. "Bringing them together was a feat in and of itself."

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