SPEAKING at the Institute for British Irish Studies conference in UCD last week, An Taoiseach Brian Cowen said that for too long the peoples of the island of Ireland concentrated on differences and forgot about similarities and shared interests.
Mr Cowen pointed out that the coming decade will see important centenaries like the Ulster Covenant, the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme celebrated. All of these events are part of one historical whole.
Mr Cowen was speaking at a time when relations between the two countries have never been better, and for the Irish community in Britain this has had huge benefits.
Many readers will remember the desperate times when signs such as ‘No Irish allowed’ were commonplace.
Those days, thankfully, have been banished to the past. That they have gone is due to a complex set of reasons — some economic, some political, some sociological. But perhaps one of the most important reasons is Ireland’s independence within the EU.
Although it has its problems, a united Europe has given Ireland the status and self-confidence to stand up to anyone, ancient foes and friends alike. This has given all its communities a better chance to live together peaceably.
The Kilkenny-born essayist Hubert Butler wrote: “Our island is dangerously tilted towards England and towards Rome, good places in themselves, but best seen on the level. Everybody is rolling off it and those that remain, struggling hard for a foothold, drag each other down.”
For all its troubles, modern Ireland tilts far less.
Commonwealth proposal
TO most Irish people the thought of Ireland joining (or re-joining) the Commonwealth is probably anathema. But Senator David Norris’ proposal to do just that do bear some examination.
Any international body which can get 54 truly disparate nations to sit down and talk together on a regular basis surely has some merit. Further, joining the Commonwealth could help promote the idea of a united Ireland.
If republicans are serious about convincing unionists that the removal of the border is in the unionists’ best interests, then joining the Commonwealth could be the very best way of doing that.
The end of an era
THOMAS CAFFREY who died earlier this month at the age of 92 may not be known to you. But if you’ve ever lived — or even holidayed — in Ireland, you’re likely to have sampled some of his creations.
Caffrey’s Confectionery is one the oldest Irish family-owned chocolatiers, creating products such as the Snowball, the Chocolate Mallow, the Tea Cake, the Big Time and Mint Crisp Bars.
When Joe ‘Spud’ Murphy died in 2001, his place in social history — for producing the world’s first cheese and onion flavoured crisp — was marked in delightful fashion.
Joe, who founded the Tayto empire, was living in Marbella at the time of his death at the age of 78. His wish was to be buried at sea, and as his body was lowered into the Mediterranean, cheese and onion potato crisps were scattered on the waters.
We can only hope that Thomas Caffrey had a similar, fitting send-off.