Madam, - The Rev Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, the designated first and deputy first ministers, have taken two joint initiatives ahead of the formal restoration of devolution at Stormont (The Irish Times, April 19th).
Small steps for them, large steps for Ireland. This seems to confirm the other hopeful signs, such as the IRA's statement that Irish unity can be achieved by "purely peaceful and democratic means", and of course the historic handshake between the Taoiseach and Dr Paisley at Farmleigh, so movingly reported by Miriam Lord.
Ireland at last seems to be back on the constitutional line of advance of the great patriots, Daniel O'Connell, Parnell and Redmond, from which we were derailed in 1916. We are all constitutional nationalists now, but sadly political commentators do not mention these men, with the occasional exception such as Walter Forde, chairman of the always excellent Byrne/Perry Summer School in Gorey, in his article on Redmond in History Ireland.
Another signpost on the way to a better future is the final acceptance of those men who answered the call of their political leader in 1914, as the honourable constitutional nationalists they were. This emerged clearly in the panel discussion on the "Lily and the Poppy" hosted by the Lord Mayor on April 11th.
At last, after a century of "physical force" futility, after a slow and painful road back to constitutionalism from Sunningdale through the Anglo-Irish Agreement to the Good Friday Agreement, we all now embrace the principle of consent and accept that all the people on this island, with their different world views, are entitled to what Wolfe Tone described as the "common name of Irishman".
We finally seem to accept the real meaning of the national flag under which I had the honour to serve - but not the baby version, "peace between the Orange and Green", implying two implacable enemy blocks that can at best live in peace by a severe strain on their Christian charity. The adult meaning of the flag is that both traditions are Irish and both should be able to contribute to the common good, in the new European dawn. - Yours, etc,
P.D. GOGGIN, Glenageary Woods, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.