I’m a sucker for pomp and ceremony. Whether it be something like a Royal wedding or funeral over the water – or the trials and tribulations of Andy MW – or a Presidential Inauguration here or in the States.
Add being a bit of a political junkie to that mix and Catherine Connolly receiving her seal of office as Uachtaran Na hEireann uimhir a deith becomes box office viewing.
You know, it’s somewhat mad to think that, against the backdrop of landmarks in our history like the Great Famine, the War Of Independence and the Treaty which divided an island, The Troubles, the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement, only now have we hit double digits in the number of Presidents we have had.
Having been on this big old ball long enough to remember such landmark occurrences as the Anglo Irish Agreement, the Downing Street Declaration and – most significantly – the Good Friday Agreement, the peace process is not only something I am intensely interested in but also constantly aware of the frailty of same.
The common denominator with all of the above being – as well as having skilled negotiators and mediators – there had to be the will among people with polar opposite opinions on the situation to compromise their positions to such a degree that they would be willing to meet around the same negotiating table.
How else to explain the phenom of the Chuckle Brothers – Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley – or McGuinness shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II or the late monarch uttering the cupla focal at the State reception in Dublin Castle.
Or, in a slightly less strenuous but no less significant development, the DUP’s Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster both attending GAA matches.
Everything takes compromise. But to compromise, you must first be able to communicate. Though developments surrounding Ms Connolly’s big day led one to wonder have certain things been taken for granted in this era of relative peace.
Never doubt though that said peace is never far away from being under pressure, so there’s never wriggle room to take anything for granted. Which is why the lack of a DUP representative at Catherine Connolly’s inauguration should be a grave concern to those in positions of influence. Or at the very least a wake up call.
Granted, it must be acknowledged that as Monday last was November 11th, Remembrance Day, the absence of non Nationalist LEADERS was wholly understandable. However, it was surely remiss of them not to be represented in some shape or form. You sense that something like that wouldn’t have happened with the older brand of either Socialists or Unionists – i.e. John Hume, Seamus Mallon, David Trimble, Peter Robinson or, yes, even Ian Paisley. Indeed, it’s worth noting that Bertie Ahern was the only politician from the 26 counties invited to Big Ian’s memorial service.
However, times have certainly changed. Perhaps there is a need to look in the mirror as to why that is the case. There certainly seems to be a drastic reduction and/or deterioration in North/South relations – even to the point of communication. Now, some of that can of course be ascribed to the relatively peaceful times in which we now live. But one wonders are lines of communication as open as was once the case. If only for the reason that it doesn’t even seem to appear to figure as much in ‘normal’ news coverage as would once have been the case.
It would be hard to countenance there being an actual decision taken to that effect, but certainly in recent times Taoisigh/Tainisti – and indeed Michael D. during his fourteen years in the Park – certainly didn’t appear to venture north as much. Which might go a long way in explaining the coolness emanating from the opposite direction.
To that end, it is at least encouraging – but also crucially important – that President Connolly has already indicated her intention to cross the border, perhaps even before this week is out. The situation is like a banana skin, nobody can afford to slip up themselves or see anybody else do likewise.
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