Michele Sweetman

I am not a fan of violence, although I recognise tough measures have to be taken in tough times. Sometimes.  As the poppy is a controversial flower in Anglo-Irish relations, a petal is used by British military to remember those who lost their lives fighting in wars, many, many of them Irish souls!

Perhaps the poppy could become a symbol of what we share living on these islands, near but separate to mainland Europe, so vastly intertwined are we.

I tend to balk at the notion of celebrating a violent time with all the

agitation, promoted by memory, leaving people stuck in ideas relevant to another time, feeling less than proud of being Irish at present, after all the “muck savagery” of the Celtic Tiger years, the greed, excess waste, selfishness, total irresponsibility...

I feel we are a very immature nation, all too quick to blame others for our misfortunes. We need to grow up, take responsibility, show decency to our fellow Irish people!

Let’s let go of the injustice of the past, stop blaming others for our own inadequacies, look after our own and appreciate what we share with our neighbours!

Poppies still grow wild and free on our island, as they did in 1916, as it does on all these islands!!

Peace!!!