Talks on North’s deadlock open: Time to end indulgent dysfunction

Patrick Kavanagh once described the Irish countryside in May, when the whitethorn was in full, magnificent bloom, as wearing its Communion dress. It is unlikely he would use a phrase so heavy with suggested virtue to describes today’s countryside. It is almost drowning under a tsunami of election posters.

The candidates’ diversity is impressive even if vanity occasionally stands in the place of self-realisation. Kavanagh’s response would be curt but if he considered the alternative, and he would not have too far to look to see one, he might be less dismissive; maybe not quite celebratory but possibly relieved.