State visit to Britain - A good day to be Irish… and British

Yesterday, as the hope that we on these islands might live together without the ghosts of history colouring our every interaction came closer to being a vibrant reality, two vignettes pointed to the complexity of our shared history.

The unmistakable, rolling and cadence-rich Northern Ireland accent of one of the army officers ordering events at Windsor reminded us of the centuries-long tradition of Irishmen, whatever their background, serving in Britain’s armed forces. Even if that tradition was often an economic necessity rather than an expression of loyalty to the crown, it provoked long-lasting bitterness. Indeed, that division was so virulent that it has only just become possible to speak with pride for the Irishmen and Irishwomen who served with the British army during both world wars.

The other vignette, one from the other end of that difficult relationship’s pendulum swing, was the news that PSNI detectives investigating the terrible 1998 Omagh bombing had arrested a man in connection with that murderous event.