It is time for unionists to make friendly overtures to nationalists, as part of our recognition of each other’s heroes

A letter from Arnold Carton:
By Arnold Carton
Published 30th Mar 2021, 10:37 BST
Updated 30th Mar 2021, 10:56 BST
We could put a statute of John Hume at Stormont (if his family were agreeable) to recognise the work he did to secure peace for Northern Ireland, writes Arnold CartonWe could put a statute of John Hume at Stormont (if his family were agreeable) to recognise the work he did to secure peace for Northern Ireland, writes Arnold Carton
We could put a statute of John Hume at Stormont (if his family were agreeable) to recognise the work he did to secure peace for Northern Ireland, writes Arnold Carton

Sinn Fein’s refusal to allow a stone to be laid at Stormont to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the setting up of Northern Ireland was petty — if they genuinely cared about reconciliation they missed an opportunity.

But the discussion on social media around this issue reminds us that we in the unionist community have missed opportunities for reconciliation over both symbols and the Irish language.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Nationalists complain that Stormont has many unionist symbols and not enough nationalist ones.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

No doubt that this is true. Northern Ireland will be a better place if we recognise each other’s heroes.

Could we not have a statute of John Hume at Stormont (if his family were agreeable) to recognise the work he did to secure peace for Northern Ireland?

Would it not be a good idea for our unionist councillors across the province to make a combined gesture to have the name of every NI town displayed, first in English and then with the original Irish, with an explanation of the basic words.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Not because I want, or ever expect Irish to become a main language of communication in Northern Ireland, but because it gives recognition to those that care about Irish, while at the same time making Irish less foreign and less divisive to our young people when they inevitably encounter it.

(In my role as a teacher, every now and then I used to find myself explaining to pupils that we have so many towns called Ballymena, Ballycastle etc because Baile meant townland in Irish, or explaining that bh is pronounced as a ‘v’ in names like Siobhan.)

With the ongoing tensions over the NI Protocol I know I will be told this is not the time to discuss friendly gestures like these, but could our failure to ‘find the right time’ be the reason why Northern Ireland has never been stable.

It seems obvious to me that unionists making friendly overtures to nationalists as part of our 100 year anniversary, recognising their heroes and respecting a language that is important to some of them, is vital step in making Northern Ireland stable and at peace with itself.

Arnold Carton, Belfast BT6

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor

Related topics:Northern IrelandJohn Hume