An historic handshake that transcends decades, or even centuries!

In a move that seems almost totally unthinkable to a leaf green Irish legend such as myself, and probably equally unimaginable to the true (royal) blue English, there was an extremely historic handshake today between two centuries-old nemeses. Inside the venerable Lyric Theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, there was a brief but monumental handshake between none other than HRH Queen Elizabeth II and a certain Martin McGuinness, formerly a commander of the IRA (Irish Republican Army). To anyone who lived in Northern Ireland during the troubles there, this event almost defies belief, given that Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams were effectively leaders of an illegal paramilitary "terrorist" group that was hellbent on violently removing any trace of the monarchy from Ireland. I can remember seeing Martin McGuinness interviewed at some point and being asked if, as some kind of peace process had been attempted at that time, would he speak out and refute the use of the rifle to achieve political gain, whereupon he stoutly refused to do so. In fact he underlined the fact that the rifle (i.e. violence) was always going to be the "weapon" that would expedite such matters, especially when dealing with a colonialist power such as England. It was typically hard line from an uncompromising "terrorist", and the future remained unclear. 

But you know, even angry young men grow up, get married, have children, and grow old. McGuinness and Adams are now in their sixties. Life presumably looked a bit different after they had their own children, who by sheer proximity could have become accidental or even "legitimate" targets in response to heinous acts that they had sanctioned against others. Happily ordering killings in one's twenties becomes a much more serious business in one's forties, fifties or even sixties, when one (hopefully) has realized the true value and meaning of life; something which they fearlessly terminated when they were hotheaded twenty/thirty-somethings. It had to stop, and even though there was enormous mistrust between all concerned, in general terms the two decades old peace process in Northern Ireland has been a success. When the winds of time blow the sands of retrospect into their final settling place, it might not just have been appropriate but necessary that it was under the reign of Adams and McGuinness that the IRA itself was laid to rest. The political aspirations remain, of course, in Sinn Fein, but the total disarmament of the organization in 2005 was a sign that McGuinness (and Adams) was now finally willing to put down that rifle. 

The Queen herself, who is on a very active run for her diamond anniversary on the throne, has to be seen as being heavily involved in this new phase of Anglo-Irish relations. It's worth remembering that at a time (1979) when McGuinness was widely acknowledged as the chief of staff of the IRA, they killed the Queen's cousin, Lord Mountbatten, and celebrated their association with it. Mountbatten was on his boat in Ireland at the time, and one of his grandsons (fourteen years old) was killed with him, alongside another local teenager. This event was further underscored as a show of strength only hours later by the massacre of eighteen British soldiers in Warrenpoint, near the border with the south of Ireland. I can remember that hot summer day very well. For the Queen to be able to put that aside and shake the hand of the man who almost certainly (along with Adams) sanctioned that operation is a massive gesture, and one that should not be lost on anyone. Additionally, she visited the Irish Republic last year, in an earlier attempt to help restore Anglo-Irish relations; it was the first visit by the monarchy since partition occurred in 1922, amazingly, but Sinn Fein refused to participate in the event. So we have come quite a bit further in just the last year, apparently, if the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland wants to shake her hand on behalf of Sinn Fein.

If one is blessed with any degree of optimism in life, this, in combination with the relative harmony that has resulted from a provincial power-sharing government that took over in Northern Ireland in 1998, just has to be seen as enormous progress. Hopefully it represents one of the last brushstrokes on a previously bloodied canvas that portrays the violent history between Ireland and England. That the last brushstroke (or two) is laid down in a a peaceful manner is nothing but heroic for all concerned, and for those of us who lived in Belfast, or Derry,, or anywhere in Northern Ireland during the troubles, it seems almost too good to be true. There are already people not happy with this "progress", who don't see it so much as compromise but as a total abandonment of what the whole bloody thing was for; they also claim that by so doing, McGuinness publicly acknowledges her sovereignty, and that's more or less fighting talk, historically, in Northern Ireland. One can only hope that if two other similarly volatile twenty-somethings appear on the scene with a desire to stir it all up again, that the old guard retains the authority, respect and resources to put an end to it, immediately. But apart from a few skirmishes, there is no sign of this for now.


In the meantime, let's be positive. One can argue over the details, but no one is starving, repression is a thing of the past, and on my most recent trip to Belfast last Christmas, I barely recognized the city where I went to university. Instead of barricades surrounding the city centre, massive British Army presence, bomb shelter command posts for the RUC, and general signs of being "ruled", I saw a vibrant, bustling, rebuilt commercial city centre full of the kinds of shopping centres, restaruants and facilities never seen before in Belfast. It was genuinely uplifting to see, and strangely emotional. On that note, to steady my nerves, anyone fancy a pint of Guinness?! - Kevin Mc