I find this fascinating - in the long line of commemoration masquerading as neutral, apolitical and ‘reconciliation’ this may be the most bizarre. A cross-denominational church service in Armagh (whose cathedral?) with the British Queen in attendance. rte.ie/news/ireland/2…
The service is to ‘mark the centenaries of the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland’, even the strangled wording is so tortured. Wouldn’t it be much easier to accept that commemorating partition is not a neutral act?
I mean, if you want to mark the ‘formation of Northern Ireland’ with the Queen then that’s fine, but just because this act is described as ‘building community and deepening relationships’ doesn’t mean it’s actually doing it 🤷♀️
It is taking all my power not to reply to all the ‘but isnt it very disappointing the President won’t attend this; he doesn’t want reconciliation’ takes with ‘Uncritical commemoration of an event in such loaded terms is not reconciliation; it is an act of tacit support’.
Asking someone who is supposed to represent all of Ireland, who may have aspirations (or at least is accepting of those who do) for a future without partition, to attend such an event is highly political and not reasonable. It’s highly problematic to frame as reconciliation.
Despite reservations re Machnamh 100, the Irish President is a scholarly man, he knows what commemoration means and how it may tie in with reconciling with the past. His decision in this regard would be taken with knowledge of what was being asked of him. president.ie/en/news/articl…
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