We can still create something good

It was a historic visit. After more than one hundred years the Queen of the United Kingdom has come and visited Ireland.

The calm and charming 85 year old held out the hand of friendship and warmth to the Irish.  She solemnly paid her respects to our dead rebels and our dead war veterans.  She went out of her way to show us that she respected our ways with her attire and her words of Irish.  Some have said that she is a seasoned campaigner but even the more hard hearted would acknowledge that she was enjoying the visit.

On our side we did not bow to the Queen.  Enda Kenny knowingly at the arrival would not even move towards her but instead just offered his outstretched hand. 

A nervousness was underscored by a number of bomb threats and hoaxes on the first day.

And the agenda too was tilted towards the Irish.  Many smiled at the image of the 85 year old shovelling earth onto a tree at the Aras. It was only on the third day with the Queen’s visit to the National horse stud and the visit to Cork that she was doing a few things she enjoyed.

She took it in her stride.

As the week wore on the Irish warmed to her.  We found out that as a nation we were being respected.  In these times of hardship we could still do something that created a feeling of goodness.  Of course this cost E28million, as Richard Boy Barret reminded us. 

But we were still good at something.  Welcoming people and creating a sense of warmth and friendship.  Healing the past.

Although the weather was fine the mood of the country was somewhere between downcast and despondent.  We have been hit be an economic problem that is breathtaking and extremely serious.

Spiritually the country is also on its knees.  Having embraced the Celtic Tiger and believed our own hype our collective soul has been damaged.  In many ways this is why The Queen’s visit released a collective pang of positivity.  We as a nation can still create some goodness.

The Queen's visit - A Maturing Nation?

The news coverage was overwhelming positive,  at times quietly euphoric.  

On the RTE One weekend show (22th May 2011) Marian Finucane asked Geraldine Kennedy about her response to an article in a British newspaper that the Irish media in their gushing coverage of the Queen’s visit was again displaying the herd mentality that got us into the economic mess. The stupid Irish, an age old English jibe, mixed with the economic barb; sore points. We had though we had overcome these, partially by becoming an independent self-determining nation and also by achieving economical independence during the Celtic Tiger.

Ms Kennedy rebutted that this was nonsense and that there were only 200 or so protesters who were a tiny minority.

But this accusation in a sense is asking us Irish “What are ye about?”, poking a finger in our chest.   Are we a mature nation able to stand on our own feet? 

Part of the process of being a mature democratic nation is to be able to hold a proper discussion on such a historic visit. Instead did we fall over ourselves with emotion, albeit warm emotion?

We pride ourselves in our words and our ability to talk, discuss and debate. But this inability to listen to critique is a national Achilles heel.  Unfortunately it is also rampant in the national media. It has blinded us in the past and will hinder our ability to mature as a democratic nation.

The visit was underscored by a few repeated phrases, “We cannot change the past, we can only change the future”, “let the past be the past”.  These have meaning of course but this visit was orchestrated by the political figures in our name and so it should be open to debate.  Our political leaders have landed us in many a sorrowful mess in the past.

This visit was part of the peace process and a welcome addition to that collection of healing initiatives.

But change takes effort.

It was brought to my attention that the Ken Loach film The Wind That Shakes the Barley, on the Irish War of Independence with Britain was only shown in four cinemas in Britain on its release in 2006.  Respecting each other’s past is not easy.  The Saville Report took years to set up and was extremely difficult to publish.

A visit of such a historically sensitive figure is bound to lead us as a nation to question ourselves about what we are about. Perhaps this will happen in the months to come.

Constitutionally Ireland is a republic.  The Queen’s worldview is based on  birthright, to where you are born into there you will be.  In a republic people are equal; hard work and endeavour are rewarded, people strive to improve themselves. 

Morrisey, of The Smiths fame, roundly criticised the Queen.  He said that as an Irish descendant who has struggled for years to change attitudes through music and better himself in England, he has found the fawning to the Queen despicable.  She stands for station and status quo he stands for hard work and change.  People’s adoration of the Queen and her station makes people work for change less valuable.

Of course we all live together in this world.  But to be able to be a mature nation and as far as possible self determine our own destiny we must grapple with some of our own particular hard questions.  We pride ourselves in our verbal dexterity, perhaps it is time to improve on this and pride ourselves in our honest and robust debate.