@Vincent Alexander: Mr doe and his muliltiple profiles all replying to each other.

@SerotoninWars: Yes, although given that the whole island was colonised, it’s not colonialism per se that is chiefly to blame: the split in the Christian church really exacerbated it and led to the worst kind of tribalism in the north-east.

@SerotoninWars: You are correct we don’t know how history would have panned out otherwise. But blaming all our ills on colonialism is a cop out. Were the Mother and Child Homes, or the handing of the education and hospitals to the Catholic Church a product of colonialism or a denial of democracy and the use of force to prevent a peaceful transition to statehood.

@Brendan O’Brien: I agree that religion is the other inescapable shadow on the island. The fact the whole island was colonised doesn’t change the fact that there were people with a completely different set of values and a view of themselves that just walked in and took what they wanted by force. The psychological effects of this on its own were and are huge. It bled into everything, even the way we farmed due to much smaller amounts of land to work on. Our reliance on the potato wouldn’t have been anywhere near as extreme. Less land and punitive rents meant people had to find the best possible resource and yield from their limited resources. It goes without saying that this could have meant a very different outcome and historical journey for the Irish people.

The split in the Christian church was of course huge. But the tribalism and resentment had already been set in motion and set in stone by inserting one set of chosen people into a different country and culture.

I agree we can’t know how things would have panned out without colonialism and religion but the plantations have to take a huge amount of the blame for the negative consequences we still live with today.

@SerotoninWars: Yes, definitely, and there is intergenerational trauma still. I think the really sad thing is that people continue to wallow in outmoded divisions and hatred when they don’t have to. The cycle could be broken, but isn’t. And of course it’s a two-way thing: the Provisional IRA campaign set back the prospects for reconciliation massively (not that unionism was a fan of the concept in the first place).

I think there has been too much focus on achieving a ‘united Ireland’ when what we should be doing is trying to advance reconciliation. The political arrangements are relatively unimportant: it’s the quality of people’s lives that matters. An unrelenting focus on ‘unity’ just entrenches divisions and postpones reconciliation further.

@Vincent Alexander: I’m not blaming all our ills on colonialism. Every country has a sordid past in some shape or fashion. There are terrible things we have to own too. No argument. Colonialism is THE big event though. Would we have welcomed the Catholic Church with the same open arms if the country hadn’t been through that previous trauma and injustice?

The huge issue in relation to the article is that there is still a section of people who take no responsibility for the unjust way they ended up here, in a position of absolute power. They still hold a deep hatred for Irish culture and view themselves as superior. Of course we need to move on and not keep reliving the past but when there are a section of people who cannot empathise with the indigenous culture in any shape or form, it makes reconciliation even harder. Thankfully there are more reasonable voices dealing with the here and now and willing to take a more measured look at our shared history. This is the way to go, of course, but it doesn’t give a free pass to people who think domination and colonisation was completely fair and right. These kind of views shouldn’t be acceptable anywhere in the 21st century.

@SerotoninWars: It’s a zero-sum game: for nationalism to win, unionism has to lose (the reverse of what happened a century ago), and nobody likes to lose. We need to find ways to make everyone a winner.

@Brendan O’Brien: I agree. While the heart loves the idea of unity, for now reconciliation is the most important thing. The open border and increased interaction between the two states on a human level is often understated. The extremists take up most of the oxygen in the room when it comes to news reporting. There are a lot more stories of people having normal everyday interactions that maybe give them more thought about who exactly they have been taught to hate or resent. There are a lot of people just trying to get by, who want to live in peace and see the old divisions for what they are – anachronistic ways of viewing people.

A more moderate and empathetic approach from the more extreme factions would be a huge help. Playing out old jaded battles and justifying attitudes from centuries ago does no one any favours. No one will be holding their breath when it comes to certain factions reaching this progressive place, for now.

@Brendan O’Brien: ‘We need to find ways to make everyone a winner’

100% agree!

Had an enjoyable read through this section of the comments. Good discussion.

@SerotoninWars: If I remember correctly St Patrick was taken to Ireland from Wales as a slave. Colonialism was a thing in medieval times and prior to that so look on it as it was at the time. During the late fifties and early sixties there was good relations between teen Catholics and Protestants at lest in border counties. But thanks to Adams, McGuinness and Paisley this rapport was broken down. It is galling to see them having portrayed themselves as peace makers or being portrayed as such.

@Vincent Alexander: Adams,McGuinness and Paisley? You over simplefy. Nothing about a corrupt political system, the British bullies in uniform,and the British government doing what they do best, causing division and hatred. Learn your history before you speak. You remember St Patrick but not modern history.

@James Leahy: no, that’s Offaly.
The Irish flag is actually green, white and orange. It says so in the Constitution.

@Jerry LeFrog: thank God!

@Jerry LeFrog: CBS taught us that it was green white and gold.