The Soldier
In Holywood, in County Down
Close to the heart of this little town,
On granite plinth a soldier stands,
Symbol of all who died for us
In Ulster’s fields or far off lands.
Bayonet and rifle still in hand,
Stepping bravely forth he joins
That self-less band,
Whose names here cast in bronze,
Will live forever.
No questions asked,
No wondering why,
A nation called its youth to die.
No holding back, excuses made,
But purest gallantry displayed.
The sacrifice so freely made,
Made for you and made for me,
Made that our lives might be free,
From hatred, strife and tyranny.
So we gather each November,
Bow our heads as we remember.
Stand in ranks in silence there,
United in that silent prayer.
And in token of our debt,
That we must never once forget,
The hymns are sung,
The lines are said,
The Last Post requiem is played.
The wreaths of poppies,
Deep blood red,
With gentle reverence are laid,
In memory of these glorious dead.
The Unionist people of Northern Ireland have their distinctive culture, rooted deep in their sense of belonging to the land in which they live and under pinned by their belief in freedom of speech, worship, assembly, and conscience. That they see themselves as British first and last should surprise no one.
Remembrance Sunday is part of that culture and heritage and affords us an opportunity to honour those who gave their tomorrows so we could have those freedoms we enjoy today. We attend the service on Remembrance Sunday not to glorify War but to Honour those who made the supreme sacrifice in the fight against all the enemies of Freedom.
Our membership of the United Kingdom means that we are inheritors of a wonderful democratic tradition and our actions and thinking are shaped by a definition of those freedoms that are an intrinsic dimension of the British constitution and identity.
We have a special affinity with the Scots, not just because of close cultural and social ties or even our physical proximity to Scotland, but because we believe that many Scots, like ourselves, are descended from those whom History tells us occupied this north east corner of Ireland in ancient times.
We have no resentment of those in the Republic who chose to secede from the United Kingdom and wish only to share our island home in a peaceful relationship. We have perceived the events of the past forty years as a determined attack on our freedom and identity and as an attempt to force us into a united Ireland against our will.
In the eyes of many British/Unionist people there were no injustices in Northern Ireland which could have justified Republicans launching such a campaign of indiscriminate terror, death and destruction on the people of the province.. How do you justify an indiscriminate armed struggle against your neighbours?
Voting in Stormont and Westminster elections has always been on the basis of an equal franchise. A democratic “one man one vote” process was always available to redress perceived wrongs and injustices.. Even when inequalities and anomalies in local council elections had been redressed by 1972 the IRA continued its vicious sectarian campaign. The response of loyalist paramilitaries was equally horrific and impossible for law abiding democratic people to justify.
We suffered terribly as a result on all sides. It is time now to work patiently in cooperation to create a better future for us all on this island which we share. No mandate can justify violence. We must learn to share this space in peace, respecting each other’s culture and traditions equally. Irish Nationalists and British Nationalists must learn to live in peace and work for a common prosperity characterised by equality of opportunity..
The events of recent months and years have given us all hope for the future. In recent years it has been exciting to see the people of the Republic of Ireland and northern Nationalists come to appreciate how much we have in common, particularly the recognition that our shared past included an amazing blood sacrifice in the Great War, made in the defense of freedom.
I am sure that in future years on the eleventh of November all the people of Ireland will join in remembrance of those who fought together in past wars against our common enemies.