Irish Examiner view: Without context we are trapped

A century ago today, the IRA killed 17 Auxiliaries at the Kilmichael Ambush and changed the context of Ireland’s struggle for independence

Kilmichael ambush anniversary march led by Commandant General Tom Barry (right) in November,  1934.  Picture: Irish Examiner archive

Context is everything; unless we can weigh one set of circumstances against another with real, hard-nosed perspective, we are engaged in an exercise of the imagination rather than worthwhile analysis. Context, despite an understandable and powerful instinct to live in the moment, can lift, inspire, and forearm.

Today we publish a series of short interviews with people experienced enough to offer valuable context, sometimes in ways that chide us in the gentlest ways, for imagining that the challenges of our time are unique and beyond human experience.