The victims of the Troubles haven’t gone away, you know

By Noel Whelan

A temporary self-imposed moral blindness has been at the heart of Irish politics for the last decade or so. In some senses the pain of the victims of the Northern Ireland troubles has been parked or buried or at least muted in order to enable the careful walk down the trail of the peace process.

It is as if sometimes we are tip-toeing around the bereaved or those who have suffered injury, fearful that recognising their pain or focusing on it at this time would only remind us of the crimes or atrocities committed or condoned by some of those now engaged in peace-making at the highest level. As we struggle, at times slowly and frustratingly, towards finalising the peace process we have had to close at least one eye and at times both eyes to the violent history, background and current disposition of some of those involved.