The Issue: Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Northern Ireland, where she was received by Martin McGuinness.
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Andrew Roberts’ article about the Martin McGuinness-Queen Elizabeth handshake seems to say he longs for the past in the north of Ireland — including the discrimination, colonialism, inequality, bloodshed and tears (“The Final Humiliation of the IRA,” PostOpinion, June 27).
I view the handshake as a truly historic moment when former adversaries now support a peaceful solution.
It obviously was difficult for both McGuinness and the queen, but they came together as a signal for a more promising future.
G. Sullivan
Manhattan
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As a person of Irish- Catholic descent, I am disgusted by Roberts writing of the “utter revulsion” the queen must have felt when thinking about shaking the hand of a former IRA member.
The IRA came into existence to protect the majority-Catholic population that was being driven out of their jobs and homes in favor of the Protestant “crown-loving” people.
If anyone should have been disgusted, it was McGuinness. The queen should have stopped off at a Hallmark store near Buckingham Palace and bought an “I’m sorry for over 800 years of occupation, persecution and collusion” card.
That would be most appropriate.
B. Connell
Woodcliff Lake, NJ
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I was in Belfast in 1990 and witnessed the brutal conditions the Irish were subjected to by the United Kingdom. If you were Catholic, you slept with your eyes open.
Imagine the horror McGuinness must have felt shaking the hand of Queen Elizabeth II, who represents the monarchy that murdered, starved and deported innocent Irish Catholics because of their religious views.
The slaughter of innocents was far worse on the British side. The headline should have been, “The Final Humiliation of the British Monarchy.”
Patrick Hickey
Massapequa
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The handshake did not merit the attention Roberts gave it.
The queen is merely the symbol of a billion-dollar tourist industry. She says nothing and goes nowhere unless directed by the government of the day.
Michael J. Cummings
Albany