The Meeting

Using the Platform

Ireland was a place I had never forgotten, it was the final resting place of my parents and had been the beginning of my life; a life that led me to where I was today, a place I will forever be grateful for.

Despite my love for Ireland, I have always been ashamed to say that it was not a place I would be comfortable starting a family in, nor a place that always made me proud to talk about my roots. It was a country that had been torn apart by hatred, especially in the North. A place that had been forever divided by politics, one half wanting to be governed by the republic, the other wanting to be governed by the United Kingdom. Brexit had greatly impacted this, escalating things further than we had ever anticipated when we stood by the ballot boxes all those years ago; false promises and a lack of clarity from our political leaders had led many people to believe they were voting, whichever way they decided, for something that would benefit both them and the generations that would come after them.

As the years went on, it had only become more divided. The revenue that was brought in by Qatar during the men's World Cup in 2022 had shifted the minds of those that had been beginning to become more open-minded in terms of human rights, showing them that you could be that way and still be respected. Politicians became more comfortable speaking negatively of women, and those of 'alternative' sexualities. Of course, it broke my heart to read on the news just how torn apart the country I had spent the earliest years of my life in had become, but I couldn't do anything to help it. I could speak out, which I did multiple times, but what difference did my voice make? Every night I would scroll the news, often welling up as I witnessed the catastrophic events that were taking place back home.

Belfast shook by another paramilitary attack just three days after the last.

Can the divide in Northern Ireland politics ever be fixed?

Thousands to go cold and hungry this winter as Stormont executive is brought down again.

The DUP have vowed that the law passed to allow same sex couples to marry will be abolished by 'as early as spring'.

Sinn Fein have vowed 'the only way forward is to Unite Ireland. Those who don't want it can leave'.

"How can they do this?" I said as I turned my phone towards Gavin.
"It's sickening, I'm just thankful none of our kids aren't growing up there."
"They need to fix it."
"How do they do that though? With the people so divided, how do they do it? No matter what happens, Protestants will always hate Catholics and Catholics will always hate Protestants." Gavin shrugged.
"That's the problem though. What were you taught in school? About all this?"
"Not very much. Mostly just like oh we bombed each other and we still are." He chuckled, a common theme with people from home.
"Same. If it hadn't been for me enjoying the music from other cultures, I could so easily have been one of those people that hates someone because of their religion." I sighed.
"You're too nice to be that way." Gavin smiled.
"Not all of the people who think like that are bad people though. That's my point, some of them just don't know any better."

— — — —

After my conversation with Gavin, the bad news from home just kept rolling in. I thought of the children, if we had this life but in Ireland, what would it be like for them? London was somewhere that celebrated people for being individuals, very few two people were dressed the same, no one asked what your religion was, Theo was free to have his own interests, and Aoife was able to play football for a proper team, with proper investment.

Finn's 1st birthday party was a day filled with laughter and celebration, a day that Leah and I had both wondered during his birth if it would ever come. He had spent the first few months of his life at constant physio appointments, and even had a small surgery to fix the nerves that had been damaged. As the last of the guests left, with Finn already sound asleep and Aoife and Theo now in bed too, I flopped onto the sofa, waiting patiently for Leah to join me. The smell of red wine brushed across my nose as Leah passed, a smile as she handed it to me with a finally slipping through her lips. I took a sip from the glass, clutching it to my chest as my head found Leah's shoulder. We discussed the party, recalling the year that Finn had experienced, and how we hoped that every year would be as happy for him as this one had. The conversation moved on to Aoife's upcoming match, then to Theo's space camp that he was due to attend for an overnight stay, and then onto Leah's new plans for her business; I could listen to her talk all night long about the things she's passionate about.