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When
PeaceComes
to
Ireland
by
Robert C. Boraker
Do the latest proposals for a united Ireland offer any hope for
peace in Ulster? How will the violence end?
''OF
COURSE
1 want a
united lreland," said
the young teacher in
Londonderry. "But not with
that lot down South," she
added with scorn.
That expresses one of the
tragedies in Northern lreland
today.
Most southern Irish dream of a
united Ireland while those in the
North are bitterly divided over any
effort in that direction. Ireland's
divergent groups say they want
peace and unüy- but on their own
terms.
It
is sad to see this beautiful coun–
try ravaged by sectarian divisions
and violence. The few tourists who
go to lreland today find the country-
side- both North and Soutb- to be
a green and pleasant land. That's
what President Ronald Reagan dis–
covered when he visited Asbford
Castle near Galway last June.
On my most recent visit to Bel–
fast, 1 observed that outwardly, liv–
ing conditions were fairly normal–
except for the body searches at secu–
rity checkpoints and the occasional
army vehicle. One would hardly