ireland, irish, ulster, belfast, northern ireland, british, loyalist, nationalist, republican, unionist

(Editorial, Irelandclick.com)

Belfast City Council has bowed to the inevitable and agreed to fund next year's St Patrick's Day festivities in the city.

After all that's happened down through the years, we could spend a long time on recriminations and accusations, but the important thing here is that an agreement has been reached and those people who want to celebrate Ireland's national day on March 17 can now do so with the backing of their own council – which is how it should be.

Much work remains to be done when it comes to the delicate business of agreeing on what form the celebrations will take, what is acceptable and what is not, and on how to make the occasion a day that everyone can enjoy. That work will not be helped by unhelpful interventions, and so we would call on all to give the council and the festival organisers the space and time they need to get the business done.

The difficulties that we're again experiencing this summer with contentious Orange parades highlights the difficulties that surround the issue of parades and cultural celebrations. But we have always argued that this community is not looking to impose itself on anybody else and we have also argued that, given half a chance, we will be reasonable and magnanimous when it comes to those aspects of the St Patrick's Day celebrations that many unionists genuinely have trouble with.

The work starts here.

This article appeared first on the Irelandclick.com web site on July 7, 2005.