in time of the breaking of nations

 

An aunt beetles into the room.

"Do you know what day it is?" quoth she.

"It's Monday," sez me.

"No but what day is in it history?"

"Monday the 6th of December 2021."

"No. I mean what is today the anniversary of?"

"Haven't a clue."

"It's the 100th anniversary of the signing of the treaty which saw Britain pull out of most of Ireland."

"Oh right."

"Only one British newspaper mentioned it," sez the Aunt. "Don't you think they should have made more about it? Does it make any sense that they would just ignore it?"

"I don't know what you're so upset about," answereth me. "Your father opposed that treaty. He wanted to keep fighting."

"He did," mused the aunt. "He always supported Dev."

"You mean the devil?"

"I mean DeValera."

"Oh him."

"But you're a journalist. Wouldn't it be usual for journalists to know what famous anniversaries were arising and to write about them in national newspapers?"

"Well aunt my own professional attitude is that the idea of writing about anniversaries can become a bit stale if everyone is doing it. So I never bothered. Of course there are those who don't consider my journalistic career an example of unrequited success or indeed an example to be emulated. But I abide by my decision re not bothering with famous anniversaries. La historia me absolvera as someone might have said once somewhere on some occasion. Oh. And I seem to remember your father opposed the IRA when it started killing again in the 1960s. Didn't you tell me he used to argue with his sons who were a bit keen on a new all out war with Britain."

"He did. He thought history had moved on."

"There you go. My attitude in a nut shell."