Sadness at the absence of Republic's athletes at Commonwealth Games

It was interesting also to watch the pageantry surrounding the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. I know my affection for the Commonwealth will be as offensive to some people as my pride for Northern Ireland is.

As the games progressed I couldn’t help but think what a shame it was that the amazing athletes from the Republic of Ireland couldn’t compete in such a fantastic arena. I often wonder why the mainstream media in the Republic of Ireland, never mind inflexible Irish republicans, only ever seem to look at violent revolt and cite only America and India who gained independence through force.

Why is the story of Canada and Australia and New Zealand not cited? They gained full legislative autonomy through solely peaceful means. And it’s not like these aren’t nice countries. In fact they’re full of us Irish.

In the aftermath of the Irish financial crisis the citizens of the Republic did not go to France or Venezuela or Sweden, they went in the main part to countries such as Canada and New Zealand and Australia. I have a cousin and close friends in each of those countries in fact.

And should they stay on, perhaps marry, then one day they may get citizenship. And the day they do, they will stand beneath a picture of Queen Elizabeth and pledge allegiance to a country shaped, as the north east of Ireland was, by the movement of European settlers onto native land.

Brian John Spencer, Belfast