Remembrance Sunday - Let us not forget our war dead

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore attended Remembrance Sunday events in Northern Ireland yesterday.

Mr Gilmore participated in ceremonies at Belfast’s Cenotaph while the Taoiseach laid a wreath at the war memorial in Enniskillen, scene of one of the worst massacres of civilians by the IRA in 1987.

Their participation in these events was important in a number of ways. In the first instance, it was a meaningful expression of solidarity with those who suffered during 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland. Their presence at memorial ceremonies that have deep meaning for the North’s majority population also serves as a symbol of respect for and momentary deference to Ireland’s British heritage, something that would have been unthinkable not that long ago.