DUBLIN1313, JUNE 27, 2011
The Bishop of Cork, Paul Colton must be applauded for courageously drawing the State’s attention to the other ways in which people are Irish today. The Bishop rightfully points out that for too long “there was only one way in which you could meaningfully be said to be an Irish person – mythical Celtic, oppressed and Roman Catholic”. This narrow approach excluded those of us who are Irish and Protestant, Irish and British. It also excluded those from other countries who have made Ireland their home in recent years.
Reflecting on the State visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland, and in particular the wreath laying ceremony at Islandbridge,
“This for me, was a public acknowledgment and validation of my ancestors, and, more deep than that, how a family such as mine came to be in Ireland. I have no doubt the wreath-laying ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance the previous day was an equally potent symbol for many others in our country.”