Fourth of July
It is the 4th of July — Independence Day in the US. It’s a bit odd being on the other side of the pond, having been able to celebrate the holiday stateside my entire life, and, of course, it’s all mildly nostalgic.
A Northern Irish acquaintance sent me a text today wishing me a happy 4th. It was a nice gesture, I thought to myself, but then my mind began to drift over the Northern Irish equivalent. There is none. The essential theme of Independence Day is national unity (“We’re Americans and proud of it!”), which is notoriously absent here.
About a third of people here consider themselves Irish. Another third consider themselves British. And the final third, maybe a little less, say they’re Northern Irish, something of a mix of both.
I wonder how many people here would prefer that sense of national unity and pride, and if it will ever be possible, whatever the political future of Northern Ireland involves.
