There will be a range of reflections on the fact that it is a year today since the most recent suspension of the devolved institutions came to an end after 24 months, with normal business resuming at Stormont.
Very few observers would claim that the lives of ordinary people have been transformed as a result, but at least some advances have been made, with a general sense of relief that the cross-community administration has actually remained in place.
Symbolism always has an important role to play in our unusual political circumstances, so nationalists need to convey a commitment to good community relations by, for example, participating in Remembrance Day ceremonies, meeting members of the British Royal family and appearing at sporting venues like Windsor Park, and have plainly maintained a positive record in all these regards.
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It would be simplistic to suggest that in a similar context engaging with the GAA should be the overwhelming priority for unionists, but they will know that their attitude is likely to be closely studied.
Some have been able to show that they understand how a small gesture can take us a long way, as Edwin Poots did when he turned up at Páirc Esler in Newry for the McKenna Cup tie between Down and Donegal back in January 2008.
Power sharing had only returned eight months earlier, after a gap of nearly five years, and Poots, who headed what was at that stage the department of culture, arts and leisure, resolved at an early stage that he should be the first DUP minister ever to include a GAA fixture in his official schedule.
There was more than a little nervousness on all sides about the occasion, but, as I discovered when I was asked to sit beside him, Poots was well capable of taking the proceedings in his stride.
He was scrupulously polite, if less than totally fascinated, as I provided my detailed thoughts on Down’s central contribution to the history of the GAA, and, after some discussions about geography and the twists of the River Lagan, was happy to confirm that we were both residents of the same county.
Poots had quietly set out evidence that he wanted to be an inclusive public representative, while the then DUP first minister, Arlene Foster, went even further 10 years later by taking her seat at the GAA’s Ulster senior football final in Clones between Donegal and her native Fermanagh.
She indicated afterwards that it was all part of moving towards the creation of a shared society, and neatly caught the spirit of the moment by saying: “As a political leader, sometimes we have to do things that we wouldn’t be comfortable with, ordinarily.”
We have since seen the DUP deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly and her party colleague, the education minister Paul Givan, show off their prowess with hurls for photographers in recent months, so there were obviously hopes that previous tensions, while not entirely disappearing, were at least fading away.
It is therefore striking to note that the present DUP minister for communities, Gordon Lyons, whose portfolio includes sport, has managed to complete a full year in office without managing to attend a single GAA match.
Although he travelled to the Olympics in Paris last August, and closer to home has been rightly welcomed by the rugby, hockey, cricket and other sectors, with the BBC reporting that he had visited more than 20 soccer grounds, a game linked to the GAA, an organisation of massive cultural and social significance and by far the largest sporting code under his jurisdiction, has not been on his radar.
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The minister was a guest at a GAA gathering for children and young people with additional needs in September, which was commendable, but it is perturbing that watching an actual match has not proved possible.
While Lyons has said that he does not accept invitations on Sundays, he is well aware that Gaelic games at all levels are extensively played across the north from Monday to Saturday every week.
What might be termed the misapprehensions which some unionists hold about the GAA have been regularly examined in this column and elsewhere, and we could equally consider why nationalists have been less than comfortable in the past about shaking hands with figures like King Charles.
However, ministers have particular responsibilities which go well beyond their party affiliations, and there is a clear expectation that Lyons should familiarise himself with the scale of the GAA, and its normal day to day activities, by simply taking in a match.
He faces major decisions over Casement Park, and other key funding issues, so displaying a basic level of respect for all concerned is vital. It should not be too much to ask.
n.doran@irishnews.com
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