Okay. The cynic in me is asking what's all the fuss about? The dormant nationalist in me is wondering have we sufficiently forgiven and forgotten all the years of conflict to justify all the cap doffing, bowing and scraping, employment of public resources, disruption of day-to-day services and humunguous expense being incurred by a financially bust country?
The disinterested auld codger in me hasn't even looked at the live coverage, bar a few minutes when she left Aras an Uachtarain.
So there I am, minding my own business, pounding the roads of Kildare, the sun shining, the breeze mild and gentle, and RTE (the national radio station) broadcasting via my I-pod.
Five little words were enough to make me ask that immortal question.
Can one move on, redeem, forgive and forget, accept that times change, nations and people progress and mature?
As I listened to Queen Elizabeth 2 negotiate her cutglass vowels across the crusty roughness of my beloved native language, as the obviously practised piece(and it did sound as if she had concentrated on the pronounciation) of Irish came across the airwaves "A Uachtarain, agus a chairde" it was hard not to believe that no matter how deep the chasm between nations, anything is possible.
Even this hard bitten sceptic blinked back tears.
And that's saying something.
7 comments:
Super post Mari and I can understand your points.
I think if you saw my post about the Royal Wedding you'll know I have much admiration for our Queen.I appreciate that she's a statesman and ambassador for us. But I also couldn't help feeling that this visit was as much about her own personal desire to pour oil on troubled waters, (perhaps before her time is over.)
There was something touching about the way she travelled, despite the threats, the way she wore emerald green on the first day, and as you say her touching gesture to speak a few (important) words in your national tongue.
Perhaps at her time in life, she has that inner understanding of the true meaning of the words, 'Life's too short?'
I think she's done an amazing thing with her visit. We've had the best we could have hoped for from the Queen. I just wish the violent thugs could learn that peace comes from two things: Forgiveness and compromise.
Debbie -great to hear from you and it certainly looks as if the Queen enjoyed and saw the value of her visit. It's surely buoyed up our country!
Paul - The violent thugs will always want to plug their message, no matter how much the majority forgive or compromise. Thanks for stopping by!
Great post Mari.... while the Queen journeyed across the sea to this misty land for the first time, Irish people have been making an inner journey wondering is this real? have we really moved forward... and you know what? I agree with you - we have!
Thanks be to God
And it's a relief to know she got away safely...all that greeting in Cork did make me a tad nervous. Lovely to hear from you, Barbara!
As a diehard republican I agree with your reservations Mari - and the comment about her personal desire to pour oil over troubled waters. The visit seems to have healed a lot, though, and couldn't have gone better. Even my heart thawed when she was caught on mike appreciating the 'clinking glasses.' Wow, she does have giggly bits. Though at the end of the day, the thing that strikes me most about her is still that she's very... very... very... rich. Debbie
ah mari....is feidir linn...
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