The death of Scotland's First Minister, Donald Dewar, is a great blow not only to Scotland, but to the peoples of these islands. In particular, he made an enormous contribution to renewing old ties between Scotland and Ireland, and to creating understanding and co-operation between our two islands. Indeed, his last major speech was delivered at the Ireland and Scotland Conference at Trinity College on September 29th.
His talk was full of hope for the future, and it was delivered in his usual forthright and witty manner. In his opening remarks he said in his typical, self-deprecating way: "A few months ago, I turned up full of pomp and circumstance at a big business function in Glasgow prepared to star. I found I was the warm-up act for Bob Monkhouse."
He made many astute observations, including one about "one of the by-products of recent developments in Scotland, and indeed the UK as a whole, [being] a broader, more understanding concern and appreciation of the Irish connection". It was a privilege to have heard this learned and scholarly man. He is a loss not only to Scotland but to all of us. "If there's a life hereafter, he lives in bliss; if not, he made the best of this." - Yours, etc.,
Aidan O'Hara, Ashton Avenue, Dublin 16.