Back in Belfast again, I’m afraid. This time it’s to open a Garden Party to mark the 100th Anniversary of my Primary School outside Enniskillen. Could they not find a footballer or pop star, I wonder. Anyway, I’m going to meet Beatrice Crawford, my very first teacher in school. It was only 51 years ago. Of which more tomorrow.
Northern Ireland is as interesting as always. Why, one wonders, does the P & O have a Bureau de Change since both Scotland and Northern Ireland are in the sterling area? Maybe it exchanges accents or attitudes or historical time zones rather than money.
I also picked up today material from what is now the Centre for Contemporary Christianity in Ireland – used to be ECONI. If you are interested, you’ll find them at www.contemporarychristianity.org There is an interesting debate going on about how much truth the new Northern Ireland can cope with. The South African model of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission suggests that progress is inextricably linked with the availability of truth. The question is how much truth the fragile political process and political institutions in Northern Ireland can cope with at this stage.