Irish Examiner view: The truce 100 years on

A man is searched at gunpoint by temporary constables of the British Black and Tans, during the  War of Independence. Picture: Getty Images

They say that the past is a different country, where they do things differently, but the reality is that it depends on perspective. For the past to be viewed at a distance with any understanding of its reality, it is important that we do so with knowledge and an appreciation of times and circumstances gone by.

That is why marking anniversaries of significant events is so important, especially when those events relate to a whole country and an entire nation. “Lest we forget” is a phrase commonly used in war remembrance services and commemorative occasions in English-speaking countries. It mainly refers to the First World War but it is a sentiment that could easily apply to our own battle for independence.

Tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of a truce between Irish republican and British forces in the War of Independence. The outline of a peace deal had been on the table since the previous December — a British offer of dominion status for an Irish state in the 26 counties. However, hardliners on the British side meant that it would take another six months, and 1,000 more deaths, before a peace deal was agreed.

The anniversary reminds us that while war is not inevitable, neither is peace. The truce was signed on July 9, 1921. It came into effect two days later but it did not take the gun out of Irish politics. In little over a year, the Civil War had begun.